Amoris Patronum
by sumrandomperson
Summary: Three aurors are assigned aseemingly impossible case.Find the defense for Avada Kedavra.They meet each other and become friends.But what happens when their true identities are revealed?Will they be able to complete the task,now knowing who the others are?
1. The letters

I dont know what rating this should be so I said T just in case! I don't know if it really is yet anyway...

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry potter j.k.rowling does!

**PRE HBP

* * *

**

_Dear Ms. Granger,_

_We are assigning you to a new case. It will be a long and dangerous task which is why we have assigned two other aurors to it to work with you. One for his dueling skills and one for his logic. You are assigned to this case for your intelligence. The three of you will undoubtedly make an excellent team. What you must do will take a very long time most likely, and I am sure when you find out what it is you shall think it impossible. But almost nothing is impossible so do not give up! Your task is to find the defense for the Avada Kedavra curse. You and your fellow aurors will meet in muggle London at The Sea Dock at 3:30p.m. You will use the name Harriet Berlow for your first couple of meetings. I shall inform you when you may reveal your true name. You will have as long as you need to figure this out. And yes, we are aware of the bad that can come of this as well as the good. If you have any further questions please Apparate to the ministry to talk to me at 1:30 p.m only. One last reminder don't Apparate to the meeting place. Remember it is in a muggle spot. Good luck!_

_Sincerely,_

_Cornelius Fudge _

_Cornelius Fudge_

_Minister of Magic_

Hermione Granger stared, dumbfounded, at the letter in her hand. She could not believe the Minister of Magic would assign something like this. She knew that it had been tried many times before and no one had ever come close. No, she thought, that's not right one person has come close, and the day after he had returned which was the day he was supposed to give all his information out, he had disappeared along with all his information. Well, Hermione thought, we are going to need that dueling master. She knew where The Sea Dock was. It was actually a little wizard café in a muggle park. She looked at the clock in the kitchen. It was 11:00 a.m. She pushed away her abandoned breakfast and went into her bedroom. She pulled on jeans and a white shirt and went to get her purse from the desk. She had decided to do some shopping in the muggle world before going to the ministry. As she was picking up her purse, her eyes fell on the seven pictures on her desk, one from each of her Hogwarts years. In each of the pictures there were three people looking back at her waving, smiling, laughing, or sticking their tongue out. She saw a boy with red flaming hair, a girl with bushy brown hair, and a boy with untidy black hair. When her gaze fell on this last boy she looked away stifling a sob. It was six years since they graduated from Hogwarts, and Harry stopped contacting them after two years. They hadn't seen him for the whole six years. He hadn't even come to any of the annual Hogwarts reunions. Everyone was worried about him, and Hermione was sure that like her, at least Ron was mad at Harry as well.

She Apparated into the alley behind the local mall, and went into the store. (A/n I don't know what kind of stores they have in malls in England I don't know if there are malls in England so I'm going to use American stores) She walked into the main part of the mall and looked at the stores around her. She decided to go to Sears. She bought a jean miniskirt, and a jean jacket to go with it. Then she walked into another store and bought some open-toed sandals. She went to Sephora after that, bought make-up and then went to the food court. After she ate (she was hungry from her lack of breakfast), she walked around some more and then at 1:30 Apparated to the ministry, after dropping off her bags.

"Hello Ms. Granger," said Mr. Fudge's assistant. "Go right on in"

"Thank you, Sally," Hermione said and opened the door next to the secretary's desk. Cornelius Fudge was sitting behind his desk.

"Aah Ms. Berlow," he said after she had sat down.

"Hello Mr. Fudge," she said

"Oh I was just testing you;" he said, looking slightly nervous. Why should he? "We can call you Ms. Granger here." Hermione heard him cough but she thought she heard something else right before then. She looked around but didn't see anything. She shrugged it off. Hermione knew there were a bunch of charms cast on this office so no one besides Mr. Fudge could get in, and he would tell her if there was someone else in the office.

"Ok Mr. Fudge"

"What did you want to ask?

"I was just wondering…..um…you haven't heard from Harry have you?" she said the last part really fast. The Minister looked a little sad. He cast a silencing charm around the room. Hermione took that as a good sign. She was half correct.

"Ms. Granger…I…..I have," he said

"You have! What happened what did he say? Will I be able to see him again? Will he start writing to us now?" she was very excited.

"Yes I have but I can't tell you anything he said and no he will not be in contact with you. I'm sorry."

"What!" Hermione was outraged. "I have the right to talk to him! At least have him owl me!"

"You see, Ms. Granger, him owling anybody is dangerous to the person he owled and mainly himself."

"I don't care! He hasn't so much sent a note to anyone of the people who care about him! Has he forgotten it all? How many people are worried about him? Has he turned so cold that he doesn't care? Or is he going noble just saying 'oh no, it's too dangerous to talk to any of my friends because Lord Voldemort is after me!' I don't care if he's famous because a power seeking, murdering maniac is after him, I want him to just forget all of that and act like a friend for once in these six years!" she screamed. Mr. Fudge looked angry now. He looked about ready to burst. But instead he spoke calmly.

"You don't mean that Ms. Granger." Instead of answering Hermione jumped out of her seat and threw open the door. It might have been either a good or bad thing that she didn't look back, or else she would have seen a tall man with black hair and glasses step out of the shadows in the Minister's office.

* * *

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_We are assigning you to a new case. It will be a long and dangerous task which is why we have assigned two other aurors to it to work with you, one for her intelligence and one for his logic. You are assigned to this case for your dueling skills. The three of you will undoubtedly make an excellent team. What you must do will take a very long time most likely, and I am sure when you find out what it is you shall think it impossible. But almost nothing is impossible so do not give up! Your task is to find the defense for the Avada Kedavra curse. You and your fellow aurors will meet in muggle London at The Sea Dock at 3:30p.m. You will use the name Nick Jackson for your first couple of meetings. I shall inform you when you may reveal your true name. You will have as long as you need to figure this out. And yes, we are aware of the bad that can come of this as well as the good. One last reminder, don't Apparate to the meeting place. Remember it is in a muggle spot. Good luck!_

_Sincerely,_

_Cornelius Fudge _

_Cornelius Fudge_

_Minister of Magic_

_P.s. Please come to my office at 1:00p.m today to talk about some things. You can probably guess about what._

Harry Potter had been awoken by an owl tapping on his window. It was one of the grey owls that brought the _Daily Prophet_ around to subscribers. This time it had something else in a yellow envelope though. Harry sat up and opened the window (it was right next to his bed), put a galleon in the pouch on the owl's leg, and took the newspaper and envelope, and watched the owl take off. He sat there for a moment, and finally decided to get up. He went into the bathroom and took a shower and brushed his teeth. He knew he needed a shave but he didn't feel like it at that moment.

When he got downstairs he looked at the _Daily Prophet_. It was the usual: **You-Know-Who Still Dormant **and **Harry Potter vanished off the face of this earth has You-Know-Who got him at last?** He snorted at the last one. Even thought he knew it was true it still amazed him that the _Prophet_ had finally gotten something right. He and Hermione and the Weasley family had all stopped subscribing when it had written a load of rubbish about Voldemort being gone forever in Harry's seventh year. Most likely because everyone expected him to finish the Dark Lord off before he left Hogwarts. Not so. Harry resubscribed again for news of what was going on. The _Prophet_ was better than all the gossip, though he doubted any of his friends had also decided to get the _Daily Prophet_. He read the letter and sighed.

"Nothing to do but wait now," he said to himself.

At 1:00 he Apparated to the Minister's secretary's desk. She wasn't there so he just knocked, and when he heard the Minister tell him to come in he did so. Closing the door behind him, he made his way over to the chairs in front of the desk, but he never made it. Mr. Fudge did something he had never been seen to do before. He ran up to Harry and hugged him.

"Mr. Potter I thought all was lost when you disappeared. I was sure we were doomed. That the Dark Lord had won. But yesterday, I suddenly I get a letter from you! Telling me of what happened! Who would have thought the _Daily Prophet_ had been right! Oh I had never been as happy to see a snowy owl before in my life! But you risked a lot sending her! But the main thing is I was the one who got the letter. Oh dear." He pulled back "I'm so sorry Mr. Potter. I haven't seen you in ages though!"

"It's all right sir," Harry said "It's so great to be here again!" They talked for about a half hour when they heard a little beeping.

"Someone's coming," the Minister said "Go into the shadows and wait for a while"

"All right." Harry barely had time to conceal himself when a young woman he didn't recognize came in. She had sleek brown hair (she had changed it for graduation and never changed it back because she liked it better that way) and she had on jeans and a white shirt. Harry thought she looked slightly familiar. She closed the door behind her made her way to the chairs.

"Aah Ms. Berlow," he said after she had sat down.

'_Berlow? I don't know a Berlow'_ Harry thought.

"Hello Mr. Fudge," she said

"Oh I was just testing you;" He looked a little nervous. "We can call you Ms. Granger here" Harry gasped. But Mr. Fudge heard and coughed a split second after he gasped. Not early enough because Hermione looked around. Then she shrugged. Harry listened to the rest of the conversation. (a/n didn't think you would want to read it all again) When he heard Hermione's outburst, he was surprised and more than a little hurt. So that was what she thought of him was it? All those years, and that was how she saw him? He felt anger welling up in his chest. When Fudge said she didn't meant that, Harry hoped she didn't and that she would say so then. But he knew she did when all she did was storm out of the office. He stepped out of the shadows thinking. _'There was one person who didn't get the _Prophet._'_

"Harry…"

"Mr. Fudge I'm sorry but I have to go."

"Harry," this time it was a warning tone "don't go aft-"

"Don't worry Mr. Fudge I won't contact anyone or go after Hermione, I'm just going to Hogwarts where we decided I'd be living." Mr. Fudge looked suspicious but nodded, and Harry left the office to go home and find his old school things, tears threatening to spill.

* * *

_Dear Mr. Weasley,_

_We are assigning you to a new case. It will be a long and dangerous task which is why we have assigned two other aurors to it to work with you, one for her intelligence and one for his dueling skills. You are assigned to this case for your logic. The three of you will undoubtedly make an excellent team. What you must do will take a very long time most likely, and I am sure when you find out what it is you shall think it impossible. But almost nothing is impossible so do not give up! Your task is to find the defense for the Avada Kedavra curse. You and your fellow aurors will meet in muggle London at The Sea Dock at 3:30p.m. You will use the name John Folty for your first couple of meetings. I shall inform you when you may reveal your true name. You will have as long as you need to figure this out. And yes, we are aware of the bad that can come of this as well as the good. If you have any further questions please Apparate to the ministry to talk to me at 2:00 p.m only. One last reminder, don't Apparate to the meeting place. Remember it is in a muggle spot. Good luck!_

_Sincerely,_

_Cornelius Fudge _

_Cornelius Fudge_

_Minister of Magic_

Ron read the letter and looked at the clock. It was already 2:00! He yelped and got dressed hurriedly.

"Why do I always wake up so late?" he scolded himself. It was only by the time he was getting ready to Apparate to the Ministry, when he realized he didn't have any questions.

"Damn," he said and just Apparated into the kitchen for breakfast instead.

* * *

So what do you think? Please review? Flames are accepted! 


	2. Four years ago

Disclaimer: I don't own hp j.k.rowling dus

A/n this chapter is 4 years ago and what happened to Harry

Harry Potter was struggling with the keys to his apartment. He was still getting used to them because he had just moved in with a Muggle roommate, away from the wizarding world. He lived in the middle of London, where Dumbledore decided it'd be safer. He could have moved into Hogwarts, but this was much easier. Harry finally managed to get inside the apartment. He dropped the keys onto a table near the door, and went into the kitchen. He grabbed a soda bottle, twisted off the cap, and drained it. He worked part time as a bartender when he didn't have any auror duties to attend to. He went into his bedroom and saw a very distressed Hedwig flying around. When she saw him she flew over and perched on his shoulder trembling. His roommate had been surprised at first that he had an owl, but he had gotten over it and decided Hedwig made a good pet. Though he was still amazed at why she didn't sleep in daytime like normal owls.

Harry searched the apartment for his friend.

"Jesse?" he called. No answer.

"Jess! Where are you? Come on I brought the movie!" Harry and Jesse had been friends for a long time and it was a tradition to watch a movie every Friday night. They would each bring the movie every other week. Tonight was Harry's turn. He looked around the whole apartment and couldn't find him. Now Harry began to get worried. Jesse wouldn't miss their Friday night movie for the world. He decided that he was just running a little late and that it was no big deal. He'd be there soon. So Harry went into his room and picked up the letter for Hermione he was writing that morning. As he was about to tie it to Hedwig's leg (she was still on his shoulder) he felt a pulling feeling in his gut. Everything was twirling around and around and suddenly it stopped.

"What the-?" Harry looked around the room. The walls were stone, and there were torches hanging off of them. There wasn't much else in the room except for a little room that held the toilet, an owl perch, and something typed up against the wall. Harry went over to see what it was when it made a sound.

"Hrrphphy!" Harry stopped in his tracks. Then he realized that this thing was a person! He ran over to the captive and took the rag out of his mouth. It was Jesse.

"Jesse!"

"Harry! Why didn't you tell me? I could keep a secret you know."

"What are you talking about, Jess?"

"You know the whole wizard thing. It all makes sense now, the owl, the broom, that I found in your closet."

"What? How do you know?"

"Um… someone told me. Actually it was the same person who brought me here."

"Oh my- what did they look like?"

"I don't know. They had a cloak on with the hood pulled up." Harry's heart stopped in his chest.

"Oh God we have to get you out of here"

"Why?"

"I'll explain later. Now take this" he conjured up some floo powder (it's only possible to conjure up what you have from your house and he only had enough for one person) "and go into the fireplace. When you get in say Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and throw down the powder. Tell them what happened to you and who you are but don't say anything about me. That will put everyone in danger. Do you promise not to tell?"

"I promise," said Jesse, not really understanding what was going on.

"Good. Do you understand what I am asking you to do?"

"Sort of. How did you do that? What is this place? What is Hogwarts?"

"They'll explain. Now go! You are wasting time!" Sure enough at that moment Lucius Malfoy stepped in the room.

"Aah. Saving your little friend Potter?"

"GO!" Harry shouted at Jesse.

"No I'm afraid I can't let him get away so easily. _Avada Kedavra_!" he shouted.

"Jesse, go now! Harry yelled. Jesse screamed.

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" and threw down the floo powder. He had just vanished when Malfoy's spell hit the fireplace wall. He snarled.

"You might have saved your friend but if he's going to tell Dumbledore the school is lost as he will try to come and save you. Of course he won't succeed and it will all be a lost cause." Harry knew this of course, which was why he told Jess not to tell anyone at Hogwarts about him. Then again Jess didn't know where this place was. Harry also knew though, that Jesse Fryer would never break a promise to a friend.

"He won't."

"You better hope he won't, boy. The Dark Lord will see you here tomorrow. You will sleep on the floor. Your owl can use the perch. I don't know why he put in a perch. He had always had a soft spot for owls though." And with that he left the cell. Now Harry realized that Hedwig was still on his shoulder, and the letter was still in his hand. Now that its job as a portkey was finished, it was a normal letter again.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I'm writing a short letter to you only because I haven't written in a long time, not because I have anything interesting going on in my life. I just wanted to ask how you and Ron and the Weasley's are doing and what's going on with you guys. I'm sorry I missed the reunion again but duty calls at the most important times. I hope I'll be able to see you guys soon if Fudge lays off a little. I'll write again soon sometime._

_Love,_

_Harry_

He didn't actually think he would be writing soon but he didn't think it would take too long for Voldemort to decide to kill him. But of course, he wouldn't go down without a fight. He didn't include anything about being captured because he knew there was no point in worrying them all. There was nothing they could do after all. With that thought in mind he tied the letter to Hedwig's leg and let her out the window. He watched her fly away, and then lay down on the cold, hard floor and fell asleep.

The next morning he woke up to the sound of the door opening. A man came in carrying a bowl of soup. He had a mousy face, with a couple of strands of blond hair, watery blue eyes, and buck teeth.

"Wormtail," Harry said through gritted teeth. He had half a mind to kill him right then and there, but decided against it. He knew Peter had been his father's friend, and he also didn't want to commit any murders than the one he was destined for.

"Ha-ha-Harry," stammered Wormtail nervously. "I brought your food" He hastily put the bowl on the floor and hurried out of the room bolting the door behind him. Harry picked up the soup and brought it back to his makeshift bed. It was cold and watery and the vegetables were soggy. It reminded him of the soup the Dursley's had given him in the summer of his second year. He thought about the Dursley's and their perfect little house on Privet Drive

'_I wonder what they are doing right now. Dudley's probably still living with them. It'd be a miracle if he made it out of the house'_ he snorted and remembered how the last time he had ever been there, Dudley was taking up two seats on the three-seat couch.

He ate the soup and saved the vegetables for Hedwig since there was no food for her. But suddenly Wormtail came back into the room, put owl food in a plate by the floor, and ran out of the room. Harry decided Hedwig had enough food (they gave her more than him) and ate the vegetables. He decided to try and Apparate home, though he knew it would be no use. He was right. No magic would work in the room, which explained why they left him his wand. He closed his eyes and thought of the place he wanted to go but when he reopened them, he was still in his cell. He decided to just conjure up exploding snap and played for a couple of hours. Once he got bored of that, he lay on his back on the floor and thought back to his years at Hogwarts. Soon he fell asleep.

* * *

In two hours he heard a loud and irritated hoot. He opened his eyes and saw Hedwig standing on next to him eating the food, with an envelope attached to her leg. He untied it and ripped it open. Inside was a letter from Hermione and a picture. On the letter in big flashing letters it said: **READ ME FIRST**. He opened the letter and read. 

_Dear Harry,_

_How are you? The Weasley's and I are all fine. But Ginny told us all something very strange. You know how she teaches at Hogwarts?_

'_Oh no,'_ Harry thought. She knows Jesse is there. _'No I'm jumping to conclusions. It's probably something else.'_

_Well she said that last night your roommate, Jesse showed up by floo powder, in the fireplace in the Great Hall. The one they added in sixth year remember? Anyway he went up to the teacher's table and said "is this Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?" Dumbledore told him that it was and asked what he wanted and who he was. He said he's Harry Potter's roommate. Ginny said when everyone heard that they began panicking, even the students who by then had realized he's a Muggle. Everyone thought you must be in trouble if you sent a Muggle to Hogwarts. Then all the teachers went into Dumbledore's office with Jesse. He said he'd been kidnapped by someone, but that he managed to escape. He said that the kidnappers mentioned Hogwarts which is why he decided to go there. When Dumbledore asked him how he knew how to use floo powder he said he had seen one of his kidnappers using it and he'd decided to take his chances._

'_Good old Jess he always knows what to do,'_ Harry mused.

_Anyway by that time everyone had calmed down since it wasn't you that sent him. They started thinking about who could have kidnapped him and everyone's fingers pointed to Voldemort. They all thought he had somehow found out who your roommate was and kidnapped your roommate in an attempt to lure you to him, even though nobody understands how that would have worked unless he told you he had Jesse. Jesse is currently living in Hogwarts, and everyone is filling him in about magic, and Voldemort and you._

_Please tell me you are ok. Where are you anyway? Hedwig looked very tired from her journey and flying from your house never made her so exhausted. We all really want to see you. Tell us your address and we'll come over and go to Hogsmeade or something. I asked Fudge and he said he'll give you the day off. Come on it'll be fun! Please reply soon and we'll come as soon as we find out where you live._

_Lots of love,_

_Hermione._

He thought about the letter for a little and then remembered the picture. He took it out and there was a note scribbled on it.

_Harry,_

_Carry this around with you and if you ever are in a sticky situation, look at it and remember us. We'll always be here for you._

_Hermione_

The picture was of the whole Weasley family, and Hermione. He smiled glad for a picture of his friends. No they were his family. The best family he could ever ask for.

Harry heard someone trying to open the door, so he hid the letter under Hedwig's perch. Right after he had hidden it the door opened, and a person he had never thought he would see again stepped into the room.

"Hello, Potty. What a sticky situation you are in. And now there's no weasel or a mudblood to help you out. My, my, what _are_ you going to do?"

"Malfoy. What a pleasant surprise. Well actually it's not so surprising you'd end up here, but still. I never thought you would sink so low. A Death Eater? Didn't Voldemort have enough murdering, psychopathic, idiots bumbling around obeying his every command? Apparently not. And I'd thought your father was the last straw." That did it. Draco dived at him, but Harry quickly stepped out of his way. As long as he was with Malfoy again he might as well have some fun. "Oh dear. Are you hurt, Draco?" he asked as Malfoy fell to the floor. "I'm so sorry my Quidditch reflexes got the better of me." Everyone from their year at Hogwarts, knew how touchy Malfoy was on the subject of Quidditch since it was clear how much better Harry was as a Seeker than Draco. Even the Slytherins were forced to admit it.

"Potter!" the former Slytherin screamed. "Shut up and follow me!"

"Of course Drakie-poo," Harry said, using Pansy Parkinson's old pet name for Malfoy. He knew the other man hated it.

As they were walking down the hall, he started speaking again.

"And how's the family? How's Pansy Parkin- oh no I meant Pansy _Malfoy_." He knew Draco couldn't stand her but he had to marry for family power. Malfoy growled in a menacing way. But Harry just plowed on. "Alas again I'm wrong! She's not a Malfoy _yet_ but soon, Draco soon don't worry." At this point Malfoy had had enough. He jumped on Harry and they rolled right into the room they stopped before.

"Draco, Draco, is this any way to treat our guest?" inquired a person in a chilling voice. When Malfoy didn't stop attacking Harry the man said. "Well I see you are incapable of speech. Let him up." Draco didn't do anything and the man began to sound angry. "Malfoy! Let him up NOW!" At this Draco seemed to suddenly realize where he was and stood up. Harry stood up quickly and looked around. He couldn't see anyone except Malfoy and-

"Snape?"

"Why hello, Potter. Never thought I'd see you again. Especially after you got me fired and sent to Azkaban after witnessing a very important, _secret _meeting." It was true right before Harry had left Hogwarts, Dumbledore taught him to see through Invisibility Cloaks. So when he saw Snape under one heading into the Forbidden Forest, he had gotten a camera and taped a meeting of the Death Eaters which included Snape. He had been fired and sent to Azkaban but he and the rest of the Death Eaters that were at the meeting escaped.

"What is this, the meeting of old enemies?"

"Mr. Harry Potter," the cold voice said. Suddenly a chair appeared out of nowhere and out stepped Tom Riddle.

"Apparently I was right." Harry muttered under his breath.

"What a pleasure."

"As always."

"Hmm… yes of course. I just wanted to say one thing to you. No three things. One: as of now, no magic will work in your room. Two: send another letter to anybody and they shall die. You may receive letters I suppose. Three: your torture session shall begin tomorrow. I suggest you eat your meals. You'll need your strength. You may go. Snape you lead him out Draco is a little too violent." Harry wondered why Tom was letting him receive letters still. His thoughts were interrupted, however, when his former Potions professor said,

"Yes Master." Snape bowed and grabbed Harry's arm. "Let's go, Potter." He led him back to the cell. Hedwig was gone. Snape literally threw Harry inside and then slammed the door shut and walked briskly away. Harry groaned. He had hit his head pretty hard on the cold stone floor. He rolled over on his back, just as everything went black.

* * *

When he woke up he noticed a bowl of soup and a small plate with disgusting cheese and stale bread. There was also a small cup of water. He ate quickly so he got nourishment but didn't actually taste too much of it. He noticed Hedwig was back and eating the owl food hungrily. There was a letter on her leg. He patted her on the head and opened the letter.

_Harry please tell me: do you know anything about your roommate's abduction other than what Hermione told you? Please we need to know-Albus Dumbledore_

Harry sadly put the note under the owl perch and lay down. Soon he was fast asleep.

* * *

The next day, after his soup breakfast, Lucius Malfoy came and took him to the same room he was in the other day. But it was different. There were hundreds of chairs. In the chairs sat the Death Eaters. Lucius left him standing in the middle of the room and went to sit down next to Draco. Then a door burst open and Lord Voldemort walked in.

"Aah Mr. Potter you are here. Good. We can begin." Harry was very confused as Voldemort sat down in a big armchair at the front of the room. He thought he was going to be tortured. "Wormtail?" For the first time Harry noticed Peter Pettigrew standing by a door in the corner of the room. He looked sad. Then he did something strange for a Death Eater.

'_Am I seeing things, or did Pettigrew just send me an apologetic look?'_ Harry thought. But then Wormtail opened the door. Immediately a dementor floated into the room. _'A dementor? That's all? I can handle that no problem.' _Harry thought. But when the dementor was near him, Voldemort pressed a button next to his chair. Immediately see-through walls popped up all around Harry and the dementor.

"Oh no," Harry groaned. "This is going to make things difficult."

"You bet it is Potter," Riddle laughed. Not only did the walls give Harry no escape, but they made it so that the dementor would not affect Voldemort or his followers.

"I can't believe the dementors work for Riddle," Harry said to himself. "No actually I can't believe it took them so long" he said louder.

"What?"

"Think happy thoughts. Think happy thoughts," Harry kept saying over and over. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" The stag galloped around chasing the dementor. But the dementor came back again. The stag looked over at Harry. Harry grinned at it. Finally the dementor disappeared and the stag ran back to Harry. He felt tears prickling at the corners of his eyes as he looked at the stag, "Thanks dad," he whispered. Then the stag disappeared. Peter noticed the boy's eyes. They were full of sadness. He saw him say something to the stag. He read Harry's lips and realized he said "Thanks dad"

Voldemort himself let dementor after dementor in the chamber amazed at this boy's Patronus. Finally after ten dementors the boy collapsed.

"Severus take him to his room."

"Yes my lord," Snape went over, picked up the unconscious boy and carried him to the cell.

* * *

It took Harry two weeks to wake up. When he did he found the food as always for him and Hedwig. He ate his and even though it was disgusting he needed and wanted more. He was almost starving. Then Wormtail came in and put a humongous bowl of steaming broth. Harry stared.

"Uh Wormtail?"

"Yes?"

"Why is it so big and why is it actually hot?"

"The Dark Lord said you are to have this. He said you'll need to rebuild your strength."

"Oh. More torture huh?" Peter didn't answer. He just left the room. As Harry was eating he noticed a letter pile on the floor. Hedwig suddenly flew in, not noticing he was awake, and started shaking the letter off of her leg.

"Hedwig!" she looked up and hooted gratefully, as he untied the letter. She flew over to her food to eat. The first letter on the pile was from Ron. It said.

_Harry,_

_Where are you? Why didn't you answer Hermione's letter? Don't you want to see us? Harry come on we haven't seen you in two years! Give us your address please!_

_Ron_

Harry swallowed the lump in his throat and continued. The next letter read:

_Harry,_

_Why haven't you sent a reply? Hedwig keeps coming back but without any answers! Why are you not writing anymore? I need your answer please reply soon_

_Hermione_

Another one from a week after that (there had been some in between but they were all like the last ones) said:

_Harry this is not funny. We are past worrying now. Hedwig comes back for more letters without any answers to previous ones. If you want to keep up this friendship you will have to tell us what is going on and where you are. You've never gone so long without owling us at least a short little note before! Please, please, PLEASE, reply. We are getting angry and annoyed. We know you're ok because we saw a _Daily Prophet _in Diagon Alley and it didn't say anything about you. I mean if you have disappeared they would have written it. Nobody can miss something that big.-Ron and Hermione_

The letter Hedwig had just brought was the worst one of all.

_HARYY JAMES POTTER! THAT'S IT! WE ARE DONE TRYING. IF YOU WANT TO IGNORE US GO AHEAD. WE AREN'T SENDING YOU ANYMORE LETTERS. IF YOU WERE A TRUE FRIEND YOU WOULDN'T BE DOING THIS. WE CHECK THE _DAILY PROPHET_ IN DIAGON ALLEY EVERYDAY AND THERE IS NOTHING ABOUT YOU. SO THAT'S IT. WE'RE DONE WITH THIS._

_Sincerely,_

_Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger_

Harry was little surprised that they gave up so fast but then again, he hadn't been replying to them at all.

Just then Draco came in. He threw a newspaper at Harry.

"Today's paper," he said "they finally noticed something" and with that he left. Harry looked at the paper. It was the _Daily Prophet._ He groaned.

"Looks like Hermione and Ron gave up a day too early." The headline was:

**Harry potter: Missing **

_Mr. Harry Potter, 19, has not been seen for the past two and a half weeks. He was seen last the day his roommate, Jesse Fryer, 19 and a Muggle, appeared at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry saying he had been kidnapped, and had managed to escape. _

(Next Jesse's story was printed)

_The search for Harry Potter has started but no one knows if we will find him._

They didn't say what everyone would definitely be thinking. That Voldemort had gotten him and killed him.

* * *

The next day he was taken in for another torture session like the last one. Again he was passed out for two weeks. This happened for two years in a row, except sometimes Tom would just use the crucatius curse. But mostly dementors. Harry began to wonder if Voldemort was going to kill him at all, after the first year ended. But apparently he was having too much of a good time, knowing he had complete control over Harry Potter.

Each session Peter Pettigrew saw the boy's eyes. The sadness and the tears. Each time he would whisper "thanks dad" and then pass out. Slowly, Peter began to feel the horrible sadness, and the terror of what he had done. He finally got over his fear of Voldemort enough to do what he knew he should have done the day he betrayed Lily and James. That is why near the end of the second year of Harry's imprisonment, Wormtail came in with no food but floo powder, and a knife.

"You are going to kill me now? About time," Harry said when he saw the knife. "But Tom couldn't do it himself, huh?"

"No Harry. I can't believe how long it has taken me, but I realize the full extent of what I have done. I've ruined your life. It's because of me your parents are dead, because of me you had a horrible life until you were eleven and maybe even after. It's all because of me. I think I actually realized it a long time ago but I was too afraid of… of…. V-v-Voldemort to acknowledge it. Harry I'm so sorry. Now take this floo powder and floo anywhere. Change your appearance, hide for a couple of years, and then come back. Don't forget anything you have here. Letters, Hedwig, anything." Harry sat stunned. He suddenly saw the Peter Pettigrew the marauders and his mother had been friends with.

"Peter…" that was the first time he had called him Peter and not Wormtail.

"Go! You are wasting time!"

"What are you going to do with the knife?"

"Something I should have done a long time ago. Ever since I betrayed all of my friends. Good luck, Harry Potter." And with that he plunged the blade into his stomach and fell over, dead. Harry stood shocked. He still hated Peter for ruining his life, but what he had just done… but before he could think about this any longer he heard the sound of a key in the lock. He dashed over to the owl perch, snatched the letters, grabbed Hedwig, got the floo powder, and right before he stepped into the fireplace he shouted,

"Thank you Peter Pettigrew!" just as Severus Snape stepped into the room. He ran into the fireplace shouted "Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes in Digaon Alley!" and threw down the floo powder. Holding onto Hedwig and the letters tightly he vanished in the green flames.


	3. Midge Moland

Disclaimer: ya ya ya I don't own Harry potter j.k.rowling dose

comedy gal: Thanks for the suggestion, I understand what you're saying, but I can't really try it out on any of my future chapters because I've already written the whole story. Actually, I wrote it last year and am just reposting it on my new account now. This was my first story. And, I call him Tom, because that is his name, and that's what I imagine Harry might call him, because it makes him even madder, remembering his Muggle father's name.

* * *

Fred and George Weasley were walking down Diagon Alley watching how people opened various stores, and were preparing for the upcoming day. They were excited, because Zonko's had ordered a big shipment of canary creams, ton-tongue toffees, and various other pranking items, and they were getting the check today. While they were opening the door to their shop, someone clutching a bunch of papers, and an animal, came flying out of the fireplace.

"George? Is that an owl?"

"No Fred actually I believe it's a human."

"You idiot. It's obviously a human. I meant the animal in his or her arms."

"Oh yeah I think it is judging by the fact that it's hooting. Look! They're getting up!"

"Come on let's go see who it is and what they want."

"All right." They went inside the store and waited for the person to get up. He let go of his owl and it flew around the room shaking soot off of itself.

"Hey!" Fred shouted. "Stop! You are getting soot all over the store!" He pulled out his wand and said a spell that cleaned off the owl and the store. The owl gave its owner a reproachful look and landed on the store counter.

"Who are you?" George asked when the person got up and started dusting himself off. He took off his glasses (which were broken) and said "Occulus reparo". The glasses were immediately repaired. He looked up at them after putting the glasses on.

"Harry!"

"Er hi guys."

"Where did you come from? You're all scratched up and bruised!" (Those was from the crucatius curse)

"Yeah," George narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "And how come you stopped writing to us two years ago?"

"I can't really te-"

"You are going to tell us whether you like it or not. You really hurt Hermione and Ron and you owe us all an explanation. Right George?"

"Right." They stood there with their arms crossed waiting for his answer.

"All right I'll tell you guys but on one condition."

"What's that?"

"You can't tell anyone. Not your sister or any of your brothers, or your parents, or Hermione. Nobody hears about this ok?"

"Ok. Now tell us!"

"All right. So on Friday night I came home and noticed my roommate wasn't there. So I decided he must be late and went to send Hermione a letter, but it had been turned into a portkey. The portkey took me to Voldemort's lair where he tortured me with the crucatius curse and dementors for two years. Finally Peter Pettigrew came and gave me some floo powder and then killed himself. Now I have to go into hiding and disguise myself for a couple of years. Happy?" They just stood there staring at him. "Um guys?"

"Oh right sorry. We were just trying to process all of that. Anyway people are going to start coming soon so what are we waiting for? Fred, please take Harry into the backroom. I have to deal with this customer. Go quickly! Before they see him!"

"Right, follow me Harry." Fred took Harry into the backroom, where he told him to sit down and wait for them to come back. He left the room to go help George. Harry could vaguely hear them talking.

"Welcome to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. Can we help you?" the customer said something Harry couldn't hear entirely but he did hear his name. He didn't recognize the voice though. He inched closer to the door to listen to what they were saying.

"Malfoy? What are you doing here? Get out! We aren't selling you anything! No! Of course Harry's not here! We haven't heard from him for two years." Harry's blood ran cold. They were looking for him. He had no doubt that if he didn't get out of England soon, he'd be found too. Then he heard George saying.

"Yeah! Now get out!"

"All right, all right I'll go. But not before I check out the backroom."

"Hey! You can't go back there. Malfoy, I'm warning you."

"Oh come on. I'm only going to have a little peek. If I don't see him I'll leave."

"Fine Malfoy, but it's a waste of time. There's no one back there."

"Really, George is right. You are wasting your time. Why do you want Harry anyway?"

"Business."

"Really? I never knew Harry was a Death Eater. Did you Fred?"

"Nope. When did that happen Draco?"

"I'm not a Death Eater."

"Oh. Well then what do you and Harry do? I heard he's a Quidditch player; they haven't played any games for a while. Their Keeper is injured. Somewhere in America wasn't it George?"

"Yeah. I never knew you were a Quidditch player. Wait a minute. How come you are looking for him in England? I was sure the American team was in America."

"How can he be a Quidditch player if he's been missing for two years?" Draco snarled.

"Well if he's been missing for two years, how can you be looking for him because of business?" Harry grinned. They had him there. Draco didn't answer. Instead he came into the backroom and opened the door. Harry barely managed to conceal himself behind a couple of boxes of dungbombs that were stacked on top of each other, when Malfoy started walking around the room.

"That's more than a peek Malfoy!"

"Oh shut up," Draco muttered under his breath. He looked around for a minute and he couldn't find Harry. Finally he got so frustrated he just knocked over the stack of dungbomb boxes and left the store. It was lucky Harry was lying on the floor behind the bottom box, or else Draco would have seen him. Then again, all the boxes burst open when they fell, and a bunch of dungbombs exploded on Harry. Fred and George heard the noise and came running in. They used a spell that cleared the smell out of the room so it wouldn't smell so bad. But surprisingly, it still smelled like dungbombs.

"Harry? Are you ok?"

"Perfect," said Harry getting up with dungbomb shells falling off of him. Fred and George suddenly realized where the smell was coming from and started laughing uncontrollably. "Hey! It's not funny!" they continued laughing. "All right, it's funny but could you please help me here?"

"Oh. Right. Sorry." They said the spell and Harry stopped smelling like dung.

"Anyway we've got to fix you up."

"Fix me up?"

"Yeah you know a disguise."

"No really I can do it mys-"

"Don't be ridiculous Harry. You're safe in our hands." Harry wasn't entirely sure about this but he knew it was no use protesting.

"Ok fine."

They had just finished making his eyes brown and his hair blond ("In the future Harry, stick with the black" Fred had said") when they heard someone yell,

"Fred, George? Are you there?"

"Oh my God it's mom! Don't let her come back here. Fred go stall her, I'll finish Harry. Then we'll put our makeover to the test." Fred grinned and left. They could hear him and Mrs. Weasley talking.

"Hi Fred. Where's George?"

"Oh he's showing our new assistant around." Harry thought he was just saying that so that they would have an excuse for keeping someone in the backroom. "They'll be out soon."

"Ok. I'll wait here then. Ron, Ginny, and I are supposed to meet here at 8:30. We knew you opened at 8:00 so we decided to come here. I still don't know why we decided to leave so early." Harry suddenly saw the door grow four inches.

"Uh George? Your door just grew."

"No my dear friend, I'm afraid you've shrunk."

"WHAT?"

"What was that Fred?"

"Oh I guess he's excited about something. Let me show you our new items that are for sale." Harry made sure they were out of hearing when he turned around to face George.

"George you turned me into a midget!"

"I know. I go all out for disguises."

"Change me back! It feels awful being so short."

"Aww come on. Being 5'4 isn't so bad is it?"

"It is when a minute ago you were 6'1."

"Sorry but I'm not changing you back. Believe me in a couple of years when we change you back, you'll be 6'1 again!"

"How would you feel being eight feet tall George?" Harry said taking out his wand and advancing on George.

"Not so very good Harry. So that's why I have to do this." He easily grabbed Harry's wand and held it above his head.

"George!" yelled Harry while he was jumping up and down trying to get his wand. Finally he gave up. "Fine. I'll be a midget." He sighed. "Can I have a mirror?"

"But of course." George conjured up a mirror and let Harry examine himself. His hair came down to his shoulder and was blond, and neat. He had been very pale from being locked in a little room, with one window for two years, but now he was tan. His scar had been covered up by makeup, and his eyebrows had been bleached. Of course, he was also four inches taller and his eyes were blue, instead of green. "One last thing. Take your glasses and save them somewhere." George said. Harry reluctantly took off his glasses and put them into his pocket. Then George conjured up silver, thin rimmed glasses and out them on Harry. Harry looked in the mirror once more and couldn't recognize himself. "Well? What do you think?" George asked.

"I think I look like someone who is colorblind, and forgot that he is a man." George laughed. "Could you cut the hair?"

"Sure" George waved his wand and Harry felt his hair get much shorter. He looked into the mirror for the last time and saw that he had a mushroom cut now. He sighed. He still didn't like it and it felt weird.

"It's so different."

"Exactly!"

"I guess it will just take some getting used to."

"All right let's go show mom and Fred our new assistant." They walked out of the backroom. Ron was standing there with Ginny and Mrs. Weasley.

"When did they get here?" Harry whispered to George.

"Dunno."

"Finally," Ron said. "How long does it take to show someone around the backroom George?"

"Well, we had to clean up some stuff that fell over, due to a previous…customer."

"Oh. Who's this?" Ron jerked his head in Harry's direction.

"This is," George looked at Harry and he grinned, "Midge."

"How old is he?" Ron asked looking "Midge" up and down.

"Twenty-one just like you little bro," Fred grinned.

"Really? He looks a little…short."

"Don't be so mean Ronnykins. He's just a midget." Harry decided it was time to step in.

"Yup! That's me. Midge the Midget" Fred and George sniggered. Ron just scowled. Harry decided that Midge didn't like Ron. After all he was being rude and immature.

"And who are you?" he asked coldly

"Ron Weasley. Fred and George's brother," Ron said haughtily. He sounded like Percy. Harry snorted in the attempt to hide his laughter. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing."

"Well then why did you almost start laughing?" Ron challenged. Harry got angry.

"I'm allowed to laugh, or almost laugh when I want aren't I?" he shot back.

"Well it sounded like you were laughing at me!"

"Well what if I was?" Ron was about to retaliate when they heard someone say,

"Hem hem." They all looked wildly around expecting to see Umbridge standing there. Then they all noticed it was Ginny. Harry laughed.

"Oh my God. I expected to see Umbridge standing here with another decree in her hand." Harry said forgetting the situation. Everyone laughed before suddenly Ginny turned on him.

"How do you know about Umbridge?" she asked suspiciously.

"Um… She was a teacher at my school for a month. Substitute."

"Really? And what school would that be?" Ron inquired.

"And why do you care?"

"Because she taught at our school for a year and kept passing Educational Decrees."

"Midge are you really twenty-one?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," Harry said icily.

"Well like Ron said you certainly don't look it. You look more like twelve." Harry suddenly lost it. He rounded on her.

"What is it you guys have against me? I never did anything to you! I just met you and right away you turn on me. You and Ron! What is your problem? Sure maybe I'm short for my age but so what? That doesn't mean anything!" Ginny was shocked for a moment and so was Ron but he recovered faster.

"Well, your temper is just like your height apparently." Harry turned to glare at him.

"Lay off Ronnykins." Using the nickname George had used a little while before. He knew Ron hated when people called him that. Before he could day anything Mrs. Weasley spoke up.

"You know, you remind me of someone. What's your last name?"

"Moland," Harry said thinking fast.

"Oh. You know who you remind me of?" Harry shook his head. "You remind me of Harry Potter. Yes that's it. Harry Potter." Everyone stared at him.

"You know? You're right mom. He acts just like that jerk, Harry Potter," Ron said angrily and left the shop.

They all watched his retreating form. Then Harry asked,

"What's wrong with Harry Potter?"

"Well," Mrs. Weasley began, "he went to Hogwarts with Ron and his friend Hermione Granger. They were best friends for the whole seven years but after Hogwarts they never saw him anymore, and he never came to any Hogwarts reunions. Two years ago Hermione wrote him a letter, asking him for his address so we could all go visit him but he never replied. Instead his owl, who by the way looks very much like that owl over there," she pointed at Hedwig who was flying over to Harry, "kept coming back to Hermione without any letters. Even Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster at Hogwarts, sent him a note. He got a note back saying that Harry was all right and nothing else." Harry didn't remember sending Dumbledore anything. He figured the Death Eaters must have done it. "He didn't even answer Dumbledore's question that was in the note. We all began to worry, and since we don't get the _Daily Prophet_, we would go into Diagon Alley sometimes to see if they had noticed him disappearing. There was never anything like that in the _Prophet_.

"Finally, Ron and Hermione got angry and decided that if Harry wanted to ignore them like that they wouldn't stop him. So they stopped sending him letters, and his owl stopped coming. Now instead of the trio they were at school they are a twosome and they've never forgiven Harry. But they're just best friends. It seems so unnatural to see Hermione over at our house, without Harry there as well." She sighed sadly. "We all were mad at Harry too, until we tried sending him a letter. The owl came back in a week with the letter still tied to his leg. For some reason it couldn't find him. That's when my husband and I began to worry again. We checked the _Daily Prophet_ even and we saw that it said he was missing! So we always looked at the paper in Diagon Alley until we saw the article that said he'd been sighted in Honolulu. That's when we stopped worrying about him. We just got angry at him for cutting off all contact with us, and making us worry and then just going to Honolulu. I know deep down we are all still worried, but the hurt and anger is stronger. Once we found out about Honolulu we stopped acknowledging the worry. We even stopped looking in the _Prophet_. We just took him out of our lives," she concluded. Harry stood there for a minute thinking.

"I heard about his roommate. Is he still living at Hogwarts?" Harry really wanted to know how Jesse was doing.

"Yes he is as a matter of fact. He's even been taking classes. He is in his second year now."

"How's that possible? You can only start you magical learning at eleven."

"Well he was very eager. And he is actually a very interesting person. Did you know he found Harry's Invisibility Cloak, tried it on, and wasn't even surprised or scared when he saw that he was invisible? He said he had the feeling like he had known all along and that it seemed perfectly normal to him? He even found Harry's broomstick, for the fun of it pretended to fly on it. When it did start flying, he was shocked, but riding the broom felt comfortable to him, like he'd done it before. When he got to Hogwarts, he had an accident and hit his head hard on the floor or a wall or something. They took him to St. Mungo's and there they discovered that he really was a wizard!" Harry was shocked. His roommate Jesse was a wizard?

"But how could he not know?"

"Well they didn't actually find out that he was a wizard, they found out that he had a very powerful memory charm cast on him when he was eighteen. They broke through it and he remembered everything, except what he learned in his first, second, and third year. So now he's taking classes again for three years. They even sorted him! He's in Gryffindor. He also teaches charms for students fifth year and above. Apparently he was a very good student at school."

"It all makes sense now," Harry muttered. How he couldn't remember anything after he was eleven until he was eighteen. How he wasn't scared of Harry when he found his broom and how he got used to the idea of an owl sleeping at night so quickly. Once he even caught Harry tying a letter to Hedwig's leg and telling her it was for Hermione, and he didn't even think Harry was crazy.

"What's that dear?"

"Oh! Nothing. Anyway about Harry Potter. What if he had a good reason for not writing? What if he couldn't? What if he hadn't actually been sighted in Honolulu?"

"His owl, Hedwig, would always get help for Harry when he was unable to do so. But she would just come back for more letters."

"Oh."

"What's that sticking out of your pocket, Moland?" Ginny suddenly said.

"It's nothing!" Harry said, trying to push his glasses back into his pocket. But Ginny was quicker. She leapt over and grabbed the glasses.

"They're glasses. Why do you have glasses in your pocket?"

"Spares, just in case mine break or something," Harry lied. Ginny snorted.

"Spares? In case your other ones get broken? These will get broken first if they're in your pocket. Hang on! These are like the glasses Harry wears!" Harry swallowed.

"So?" Fred stepped in. "A lot of people might have glasses like Harry's!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," said Ginny doubtfully.

"Hey Fred," Harry butted in wanting desperately to get out of there. "Do you have a bathroom?"

"Yeah, it's in the backroom. Did George forget to show you?"

"I guess so," Harry shrugged and left. Once he was out of ear shot they started talking.

"Ginny what is your problem?" George hissed. Not wanting a fight, Mrs. Weasley whispered,

"What's that on the floor?" she pointed at the papers that had fallen out of Midge's pocket when Ginny had grabbed his glasses.

"I'm sure it's nothing," George said trying to grab the letters. But once again Ginny was too quick. She bent down and picked up the letters. She started reading with Mrs. Weasley reading over her shoulder.

"They're addressed to Harry," she murmured. "They're from Ron and Hermione!" Hedwig started hooting loudly. They barely managed to fold the letters up again (they hadn't read anything except who they were for and from) when Midge stepped out of the backroom. He eyed them and the letters suspiciously.

"Th – they fell out of your pocket" Ginny stammered. Midge looked at her and then walked over and grabbed the letters.

"Did you read them?"

"No, of course not"

"Good. If you'll excuse me I still need to use the bathroom," he said coldly and turning on his heal he walked back to the back room. They didn't know he was still listening to them though.

"Guys, I think that's Harry," Ginny said, nervously eyeing the door.

"What are you talking about?" Fred exclaimed. "How can that be Harry?"

"Please. Stop playing dumb. Do you really need me to list all the reasons?"

"Why yes, actually, I do."

"Fine!" Ginny snapped. "One: he reminds us all of Harry. Two: his owl looks like Hedwig. Three: he carries around glasses identical to Harry's. Four: the letters he has in his pocket are addressed to Harry and are from Ron and Hermione. Six: when mom told him the story about Harry's roommate he said 'it all makes sense now'. Harry had been living with him for a little bit and there must have been things his roommate was more understanding than normal about, for example Hedwig. Seven: he knew about Umbridge and her educational decrees. The eighth reason doesn't necessarily make me think that it's Harry but combined with every other clue it makes sense. He called Ron 'Ronnykins'."

"So? I called him that earlier. Midge must have just said that because I did."

"But he was using it as an insult. How would he know that that's a way to get Ron mad by just hearing you call him that once? Ron didn't have an angry reaction when you called him Ronnykins, because he's used to it from you."

"Wow. You're pretty good at detective work. Maybe you should become one. But it didn't work for you this time. For your information, Midge is a Midget at 5'4 but Harry is by no means a midget, unless he shrunk since his seventh year. He was already 6'0 at graduation"

"There are charms you can cast to make yourself shorter, as well as change your eye color, hair style and color, and there's makeup to cover up his scar. Also, I think you and George both know its Harry, and for some reason he told you not to tell. Well too bad. If he doesn't want to admit it I'll force him."

"All right then, if you're so sure it's Harry how come you were so rude and mean to him?" Fred challenged. "Correct me if I'm wrong. In your first year you had a crush on him that lasted until second year. In your sixth year, his seventh year, I believe you were both still good friends. So where did all this come from?" Ginny blushed.

"Well I was suspicious. He was acting strange and then he and Ron got into a fight."

"I see."

"And then what was up with Ron?" came Harry's voice. They turned around to see him coming across the room towards them.

"I think it was the same as Ginny," said Mrs. Weasley quietly.

"Harry. I'm so sorry," Ginny said. "Please don't be mad. It's just you were acting strange and 'Midge' was acting too much like you for me not to be suspicious, and the whole thing with Ron. I think Ron was acting like that because Fred and George's assistant was acting a lot like his ex-best friend."

"Oh Ginny I'm not so sure I can forgive you." She down at him (she was 5'6")

"What?"

"I'm just kidding!" he said gleefully.

"Harry," Mrs. Weasley suddenly broke out in tears. "I can't believe it! You're ok and you're here! But what happened? Why did you stop writing?"

"Mom calm down," George said.

"Sorry," she sniffed.

"I'll tell you and Ginny but just like Fred and George, you can't tell anyone."

"Ok," they both promised, "we won't" and so they all sat down and Harry told them his story. When he was done Mrs. Weasley burst out with fresh new tears,

"And all this time! We've been angry at you!" she sobbed.

"Mom. It's ok. He understands. Don't you Harry?" said Fred.

"Of course." Harry grinned "I would have done the same to myself if I was you." They all talked for a while longer and then Harry announced that he had to go.

"What are you talking about Harry?" George asked.

"Yeah it's not lunchtime yet!"

"What are you guys talking about?"

"Remember? You're our new assistant!"

"I thought that was a joke! I would love to but I can't stay in England."

"Exactly why you came at the perfect time! We are leaving tomorrow to open our store in America. Ginny's going to run this one while we're away. And the best part is we're going on a Muggle airplane! Dad wants to know all about them, but he's so busy he'll never get a chance to go in one so he's asked us to go via plane instead of Apparating. Anyway Apparating that far is too tiring," Fred informed him.

"So what do you say Harry?" George asked.

"Well how long are you guys going to be there?"

"Well when Ginny needs help we'll Apparate to help her. Hopefully that won't be too often. What am I saying of course it won't! Ginny's great at this! Almost as good as being a detective. Anyway we'll probably be going for a year or two. You know to get business started. Then we'll go home!"

"Well what's it gonna be Harry?" George prompted.

"Of course I'll go!"

"Excellent!" Fred and George exclaimed at the same time. "You can stay here and help out today. Tomorrow since we know nothing about Muggles, you're going to get us to the airport!"

"But I-"Suddenly Harry couldn't speak.

"Harry we can't hear please speak up," George said cupping his ear with his hand.

"You put a silencing charm on me! Even if I speak up it won't make a difference!" Harry tried to yell, but instead he ended up looking like a fish.

"Well since you've got no objections to getting us there, we should get to work." Harry scowled but his lips were twitching. Ginny was grinning, and even Mrs. Weasley was smiling.

* * *

The next day Harry, Fred, and George somehow made it on time to the airport. They had had to return to Fred and George's place five times for forgotten items, leaving almost no time at all to get Harry's things. His apartment was all dusty when they got there, and that included all his possessions that weren't in his trunk. So basically, that was his Muggle clothes (which he threw into his trunk without cleaning) Hedwig's cage, his Firebolt (which he kept as a memory of Sirius) and his Lightracer which was the newest broom out on the market. He was glad they were in first class, on the plane, because then he could pull the curtains around him, and fix up his brooms. His Invisibility Cloak, and his robes and cloaks were all in his trunk. 

When they got on the plane, they all waited eagerly for take off. When they did take off, Harry noticed it was a lot like flying on a broomstick, just not as fun and you couldn't fell the air as you whipped through it. The whole plane ride, the three men polished, clipped, and cleaned their broomsticks. (Fred and George had gotten enough money to get Firebolts from a Zonko's order a long time ago). When they got to America they found the apartment they had rented, which was very close to Vertic Alley (the American Diagon Alley) where the store was. For the next two years they stayed in America just working in the shop. Fred had had to go help Ginny only once.

* * *

After two years their business was booming. Harry bought the apartment so that Fred and George could come whenever they wanted, as a gift for all they had done for him. Since he refused to take part of the money that came in, he did end up becoming a Seeker on the American team under the name Midge Moland. Finally Harry decided to reappear in public once again. George hired someone to work in their shop while they weren't there and then they went home. 

When they got back everyone greeted them heartily (except for Ron since he still didn't like "Midge") and Harry changed his appearance back, and stayed in a hotel as Harry Potter, for two weeks. One day before he was due to check out, he sent the first two letters he had sent in four years, and got the first two letters he'd received in four years.

_Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

_Can I please stay at Hogwarts for a while? Maybe even a couple of years? I know I'm probably the last person you want there right now, but I promise I'll explain everything. Please respond ASAP,_

_Harry_

_Dear Cornelius Fudge,_

_Four years ago my roommate, Jesse, got kidnapped by Lord Voldemort. I saved him and was captured myself but asked him not to say anything. They tortured me for two years but then Peter Pettigrew helped me escape, and killed himself. I disguised myself, and worked with some people for two more years, in America. I will not say who they were in case this letter falls in the wrong hands. Now I am back, and I need some auror work to do. If I still hold my position as an auror please assign me a case. Awaiting your response,_

_Harry Potter _

He gave the letters to Hedwig and told her to get the answers back as soon as she could. She hooted in understanding, and flew away.

The next day:

_Dear H._

_We shall be happy to have you._

_P.A.D_

Harry smiled. He knew the letter was like that incase someone who was not meant to, got it. The other letter, from the Ministry read:

1_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_We are assigning you to a new case. It will be a long and dangerous task which is why we have assigned two other aurors to it to work with you, one for her intelligence and one for his logic. You are assigned to this case for your dueling skills. The three of you will undoubtedly make an excellent team. What you must do will take a very long time most likely, and I am sure when you find out what it is you shall think it impossible. But almost nothing is impossible so do not give up! Your task is to find the defense for the Avada Kedavra curse. You and your fellow aurors will meet in muggle London at the Sea Dock at 3:30p.m. You will use the name Nick Jackson for your first couple of meetings. I shall inform you when you may reveal your true name. You will have as long as you need to figure this out. And yes, we are aware of the bad that can come of this as well as the good. One last reminder, don't apparate to the meeting place. Remember it is in a muggle spot. Good luck!_

_Sincerely,_

_Cornelius Fudge _

_Cornelius Fudge_

_Minister of Magic_

_P.s. Please come to my office at 1:00p.m today to talk about some things. You can probably guess about what_


	4. The Sea Dock

Disclaimer: I don't own h.p

a/n this is the day after they all got their letters and incase that wasn't clear enough for some people the last two chapters were flashbacks.

Sirladyknight: He signs it twice because in those types of letters there's usually a signature and then the name printed. You can't put cursive or anything on fanfiction which is why it's just normal twice.

You guys have no idea how good it feels to get so many supportive reviews! I wuv you guys!

* * *

Hermione was sitting on the bus, on her way to The Sea Dock. Even though she knew the case was almost impossible, she couldn't wait to get started. Imagine if they succeeded! They would save so many lives and it would be easier to fight against Voldemort. True, it would make it easier for him as well, but then again it didn't kill him when Harry deflected the curse. Harry. Although Hermione was angry at him she knew they all had to do what they could to help him with Voldemort.

When they got to her stop, she got out and walked into the park. She saw that it was still 3:15. She sat down on a bench next to the lake that was in the park, right next to the café. She was looking at the other side of the lake, when she saw someone appear out of thin air. She frowned. 'They really should know not to Apparate in the middle of a Muggle park.' She thought. Even though there was only one Muggle in the park, the wizard who just appeared couldn't have known that. But it was bad enough because suddenly the Muggle started staring at the wizard.

"Where did you come from? It looked like you just appeared out of thin air. It was like magic!" The man started stuttering. Apparently he hadn't seen the Muggle .

"Um I…uh"

"Oh for Goodness' sake," sighed Hermione. "Excuse me ma'am?" she called to the Muggle woman. She turned around still looking frightened.

"Yes?" Hermione pulled out her wand, after making sure there was no other Muggle s near.

"Obliviate!" she shouted. The woman seemed to go in a trance. Suddenly she came to life, and walked off, having no recollection of just witnessing someone appear out of thin air.

"Thanks," said the wizard coming over. Hermione looked him over. He was tall, probably about 6'2, and had red, flaming hair and a deep voice.

"You know you really could be more careful," said Hermione sourly. "Apparating into a Muggle place is really dangerous. What if there was more than one? And you could have wiped her memory by yourself instead of standing there stuttering."

"Sorry but I'm not so good with memory charms."

"Oh well," Hermione sighed again. "I'm Harriet Berlow. Are you here from the ministry?"

"What?" asked the man distractedly. He had been looking at two ducks fighting.

"Oh honestly," snapped Hermione. "Could you please pay attention? Are you here because of the thing from the ministry?"

"You know, you remind of someone," the wizard said looking her over. "You mean the meeting at the café?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, I'm here for that, you?"

"Well obviously. How else would I know about it?"

"Hang on, Harriet Berlow isn't your real name is it?"

"No but I'm not telling you what is." The man grinned.

"No need."

"What do you mean?"

"I know who you are!"

"Oh really? Well then who am I?"

"You're Hermione Granger!"

"Keep it down," Hermione hissed. "How do you know? Wait a minute, Ron?"

"That's my name."

"Wow! I haven't seen you in such a long time!"

"I know! It's so great to see you again. I wonder how many more times I'm going to need you to get out of a sticky situation." Hermione laughed.

"Don't count on me being here forever." He pretended to pout.

"Oh, Hermione, do you have a place I can stay? It's just for a week because I got an apartment, but I can only move in next week."

"Oh sure you can," she said, and then looked at the clock. It was 3:40. "Oh my God! We're late!" she grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the café. While they were running, Ron was commenting about The Sea Dock's name.

"I never understood why they called this place The Sea Dock. It doesn't really make a good name, does it? I mean the place is near a lake."

They finally reached the entrance to the café. It was like the entrance to platform 9 ¾; there was a big tree that you had to walk through and you would end up in The Sea Dock. They took a moment to catch their breath and made sure no Muggle s were watching and walked through the tree. When they were inside, they looked around. They were in a dark place, which smelled like an assortment of foods, and dirt. That was no surprise, though, because there was a lot of food cooking, and the place was filthy. Its occupants were no better. They were all in ripped robes, with messy hair, dirty nails, and crooked yellow teeth. This was Hermione' first visit to the "café" and she was wondering why it was called that. It was more like a bar for lowlifes. Then she noticed that there was one person who looked a lot different than the rest. He had black hair, and glasses, and was sitting in the corner. He was in Muggle clothes, broom at his side. 'I guess he didn't feel like changing' thought Hermione. She knew that since you couldn't Apparate into the bar, everyone who came would just change their clothes when they came in. She saw that the man looked impatient and kept looking at his watch.

"Ron, I think that's the third person on this case."

"Yeah, probably. Let's go." They went to the table the man was sitting at, and sat down with him. He looked up at them. He had brilliant green eyes. When he saw Hermione, he looked surprised.

"Hello, you the people from the ministry?"

"Yes, sorry we're late."

"Oh no that's all right. Do you want something to eat or drink?"

"Yes! I'm starving!" Ron exclaimed. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"What do you want?"

"Some of that fried chicken," said Ron looking at the menu.

"What drink?"

"Maybe a firewisky. That's probably the only way to actually figure this thing out, getting drunk." Hermione scowled, but the man grinned. Seeing Hermione's expression Ron quickly changed his mind. "I'll just have a butterbeer."

"Ok. And you?" he asked turning to Hermione. He reminded her of someone.

"Just a butterbeer for me, thanks."

"Ok be right back." When he left Hermione whispered to Ron.

"Does he remind you of someone?" he frowned.

"Yeah, a little bit. But it can't be him."

"Why not? I talked to Fudge yesterday and he said he'd heard from him, but he wouldn't tell me what he said."

"Well we'll see when we get to say our real names."

"Ok. He's coming back." When the man reached their table, he put down the three butterbeers on the table with a thump. Then he went back, and got Ron's chicken. Ron licked his lips, and attacked it.

"So what're your names?" asked the man.

"I'm Harriet Berlow," Hermione announced.

"John Folty," said Ron between mouthfuls. "you?"

"Nick Jackson," he said, taking a swig of his butterbeer. Hermione looked incredulously at Ron, who was gulping down his own drink, and stuck out her hand.

"Nice to meet you." Nick took her hand.

"You too." After he let go Hermione started speaking.

"I thought that maybe today, we should just get to know each other, and figure out where to start, and the next time we can actually start."

"Sounds good. Where do you think we can start?"

"I was thinking about a library." Ron groaned.

"Harriet, how will that help us? If there was anything useful in there someone would have figured it out by now."

"John, I swear, I'm not sure why Mr. Fudge even assigned you to this case. If we need to find they way to block a curse, we need to find out everything we can about it first." She explained.

"Oh," he said and went back to his chicken. Nick, however, turned to Hermione.

"Do you know a good library we can use?"

"Well," Hermione bit her lip "I was thinking of the library at Hogwarts. It's one of the best there is. But we'll need to ask the headmaster."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I can ask him."

"That's great! What do you think John?" Ron looked at her licking his fingers.

"Sure. That sounds good."

"Ok. So I guess we're done right?"

"Yup, see you tomorrow then?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, I'll owl you guys tonight. I'm pretty sure it's a Hogsmeade trip tomorrow, so we'll be able to use the library."

"Oh but what about the first and second years?" Ron asked.

"Dumbledore will figure something out."

"All right. Wait a minute- Oh my God!" Ron shouted. Hermione thought something was terribly wrong and worriedly asked him what was wrong.

"That's a Lightracer!" Ron exclaimed pointing at Nick's broom. Hermione looked at him sternly.

"John, really, that's no reason to scream bloody murder. It's just a broom!" Ron tore his gaze off the broom to stare at her. Even Nick was looking at her incredulously.

"Just a broom? _Just_ a broom?" Ron was almost in hysterics "Harriet, remember how fast the Firebolt goes? Well this is, like, two times faster!" Hermione just rolled her eyes.

"Actually it's three times faster," Nick announced proudly. Ron gaped.

"No way! That's impossible!"

"No really, they found a way to do it! It's really great," replied Nick, and then he and Ron launched into a conversation about Quidditch, while Hermione sat there bored out of her mind. Finally she interrupted them,

"Sorry but we really better leave."

"Well how come you just don't?" Ron asked angrily.

"Because, you idiot, I have to show you my place."

"Oh yeah."

"All right I better go then. Bye Harriet. Bye John," said Nick and started walking away, towards the exit with his Lightracer,

"No wait!" Hermione called. "We need to pay you for the drinks and food."

"It's on me," he said looking over his shoulder.

"Ok bye!" Hermione said.

"Bye Nick," said Ron still eyeing the broom. Nick laughed noticing what Ron was looking at.

"Tell you what, after we're done tomorrow I'll let you have a go on my Firebolt and maybe my Lightracer." Ron looked so ecstatic that he didn't wait for an answer. Instead he waved and left through the tree.

"Oh my God," Hermione said "I don't even know him but I like him already. It's just he's such an interesting person it seems."

"I know," Ron murmured. "I mean he has a Firebolt too?" Hermione rolled her eyes again and pulled him to his feet and out of The Sea Dock.

* * *

The morning after Harry came to live at Hogwarts, he woke up not realizing where he was. He sat up, and took his glasses off the bed side table and put them on. Getting out of bed he looked around. There was a desk, a closet, the bed and bed side table, and his trunk was at the foot of his bed. He also saw two doors. He went to the first one and opened it. Inside was the bathroom. Behind the second one he found a hallway, with kids running past. Then he suddenly remembered everything. He shut the door quickly, before anyone noticed him.

He was at Hogwarts. He had come there the day before, after he had left the Ministry. Once Harry explained what had happened to him Dumbledore and the teachers were extremely happy, and they even threw a party. He grinned remembering how Professor McGonagall had a little too much to drink. Nobody had ever seen her drunk and it was very strange indeed. She had gone around singing songs off key, and when she saw Harry she had run over and hugged him saying how glad she was that he was back.

After the party (McGonagall had passed out and been levitated back to her room so they stopped) Harry and Dumbledore had discussed how he had better keep out of sight of the students. Then they had both gone to bed.

Harry went into the bathroom again and took a shower and brushed his teeth. After he was done getting dressed, he looked out into the hallway. There were still students swarming about. He looked at the clock and saw that it was already 12:00. 'They must be headed to lunch' He realized that he was very hungry, having barely eaten the previous day. He knew he couldn't go down to lunch with the school, so he decided to go to the Three Broomsticks. He walked over to the window, and looked out. There were broomsticks all lined up on the ground, most likely for the first years' flying lesson. Harry remembered his first flying lesson and smiled. That was one of his best memories. Another was becoming an animagus. The year he had escaped Lord Voldemort with Peter Pettigrew's help, he became an illegal animagus, so it was easier to hide. The animal he had chosen was an eagle.

He opened the window, and breathed in the fresh air. Stepping onto the ledge outside of the window, he noticed the students filing out for their flying lesson. Harry groaned and as quickly as he could without falling, closed the window. He desperately hoped none of the kids would look up and see a man standing on a ledge out side of the window, looking like he was about to jump.

The man was about to transform, when he decided to do this the fun way. He jumped off the ledge and started falling down. In the middle of the drop, he transformed into a beautiful golden eagle. Beating his wings, he rose into higher and higher into the air and soared over to the group gathered near the brooms. He flew around their heads; some of them screamed and most laughed when he did a flip in the air. Madame Hooch, along with all the rest of the teachers knew about Harry being an animagus, so she just smiled and let him fly around her class for a minute or two. Then she yelled "shoo!" and he flew away.

Harry flew to the edge of Hogsmeade and made sure no one saw him when he transformed. Once he was back in human form, he strode through the village, to the Three Broomsticks. He was happy when he saw that there weren't too many people there. He was slightly nervous, this being the first time in four years he made a public appearance under the name of Harry Potter and not Midge Moland. He pretended that it was a perfectly normal day and he hadn't been missing for four years, and walked up to the bar. Without looking up at him, Madam Rosmerta asked him,

"What'll it be? Our special today is the eggs and bacon."

"I'll just have that then."

"Ok that'll be two galleons" Harry handed her the money and she finally looked at him. Forgetting all about the money, stared at him with her mouth open.

"Harry Potter?" she whispered. He grinned.

"The one and only but could you not tell anyone please?"

"Where have you been all this time? We were all sure that he-who-must-not-be-named had got you, and that it was all over."

"Look, I'm not sure I can tell you right now. Maybe some other time; I'm not really comfortable with reliving this for the fifth time."

"Ok I understand." She noticed the money "oh it's on the house Mr. Potter." He was about to protest when she walked away to get his food. He sighed and pocketed his money.

After he finished eating, he thanked Madam Rosmerta and made to leave. Before he managed to get out, the door opened and a woman walked in. she looked to be about thirty years old and she had a very familiar crocodile skin purse. He gasped, and tried to shuffle past her, but she grabbed his arm. He shrugged her off and ran out the door with the woman hot at her heels, yelling at him.

"Maria Skeeter here! I need to speak to you for a minute please!" He looked back at her and noticed that she was struggling to get her quill and parchment out of her purse, while running in impossibly high heels. He ran even faster, and when he turned the corner he transformed in mid-run. He soared over Hogsmeade still hearing her shouts of "Where are you? Please Mr. Potter come back!" inwardly he groaned. Of course she had to recognize him, and then shout about seeing Harry Potter loud enough for the whole village to hear. Harry had heard of her before, and she was just like her mother, Rita Skeeter, who had stopped writing stupid stories, after Harry's fourth year but had apparently had her daughter become just like her. Harry knew that by tomorrow, there would be a story in every paper about how he was sighted.

He flew into Hogwarts and saw that it was 1:30. Harry transformed in his room and thought about what he should do now. He decided to go practice Quidditch. He took out his Lightracer, and ran out onto the Quidditch field. He hadn't flown on a broom in a while and it felt great! He didn't even know which was better: flying as a bird or flying on a broom. He was having such a good time, he didn't even notice the seven people in red Quidditch robes, their brooms in hand, walk out onto the field and start watching him.

"Wow he's really good. I wonder who he is?" said the Captain, Jeff Labro.

"I dunno," the Seeker answered. "Look! He just caught that Snitch in about forty seconds!"

"I know! Do you know what kind of broom that is?" asked the Keeper.

"I think that's a Lightracer! It's the fastest broom in four years! Nobody thought there'd be one much faster than the Firebolt but hen this one came out!" Jeff exclaimed. He was a Beater.

"We know about that, but I doubt that's a Lightracer; they're still incredibly expensive." said the other Beater, Amanda Croland.

"Well then what kind of broom is it?"

"The main question is: who is he?" said a Chaser. Nobody knew the answer to that, so they just watched him in awe for ten minutes. Finally after catching his Snitch, he noticed them. He put the Snitch in his pocket, and quickly sped off in the other direction. The team was disappointed, but mounted their own brooms, and began their practice.

Harry couldn't believe how close he was to being caught, but then again it wouldn't have mattered much because Maria Skeeter would have it on the front page of every newspaper in the morning. Still it was best not to be seen.

He had been flying for about an hour, and decided to fly into Muggle London (he'd hide his broom somewhere behind a bush) and walk around for a while, until it was time to go to The Sea Dock. He had always loved London and it was a real treat to be able to walk around freely as himself, and not Midge Moland the midget. It still felt strange for him to be 6'1 again and all day yesterday, and still today he had been stumbling and tripping over his feet now and then. But luckily he was getting more and more used to it again. After forty-five minutes he retrieved his broom, and flew off to the park.

He got there right at 3:30 and hurried into the café. What he saw made him really doubt that it was a café. It was dark, dirty, and the occupants were filthy and shady. He didn't see anyone who looked as thought they might be aurors, so he went to a table in the corner and waited. After twelve minutes he was getting impatient. Aurors always were on time! What was keeping them? He looked at his watch again, when two people sat down at his table. He looked up at them and was very shocked to see Hermione. The man next to her reminded him strongly of Ron with his red hair, and as he was going to find out soon, eating habits.

Once he found out what they wanted, he left to go order. When he was at the counter, he noticed Hermione whispering something to the other man, and looking at him. Harry got slightly nervous so he just turned around and waited for the food.

When he got back, they introduced themselves, and he noticed how much Hermione and Ron (he was sure it was Ron by now) had changed, but also how much they were the same.

They started talking about how to begin the assignment, and decided to begin at the Hogwarts library. Harry was the one to find out if they could. Then Ron noticed his broom, and they started talking about Quidditch. When Hermione interrupted them and he decided to leave, he noticed the expression on Ron's face while he was looking at Harry's broomstick. After offering him a ride on both his brooms Harry left the place. He walked around the park for a while, thinking about seeing his friends again. He couldn't wait to reveal his true name, and explain what had happened. After thinking about how they might react to the news that they had basically been angry at him for being kidnapped, and how they stopped looking in the newspaper a day too soon, he mounted his broom and flew off towards Hogwarts.


	5. Their names

Disclaimer: don't own hp

A/n in case anybody forgot John is Ron, Harriet is Hermione, and Nick isHarry

In some parts I'm going to be switching from their real names to their fake names just telling you anyway enjoy!

* * *

Ron woke up the next morning on the floor. Groaning he sat up and rubbed his aching back. He was used to waking up on the floor because he had been living with Fred and George for a week or two, and he had had to sleep on the couch so he always fell off.

"Damn, it was all a dream," he said to himself. He was disappointed because he had seen Hermione again, and he had met someone who he really liked, being offered a ride on a Firebolt and a Lightracer in the process. He'd only been on a Firebolt once or twice in his life and that was when Harry would let him.

He stood up and looked at his surroundings.

"This isn't Fred and George's place."

"Well duh. It's my place remember?" came a voice from the doorway. He looked over and saw a woman with brown hair standing there.

"Hermione!" he looked around. "Oh! It wasn't a dream."

"No it wasn't, come on Nick said he'd meet us at Hogwarts. His owl came yesterday and the letter said we would be able to use the library. The students shouldn't be a problem, because only the first and second years will be there, and 'nobody normal goes to the library on a Saturday' as he put it." Ron sniggered, remembering how many Saturdays she had spent in the library back at school. "Oh shut up and get dressed." Hermione left him to get ready.

After he was dressed in his black robes, he went into the hallway, and followed the smell of pancakes to the kitchen. He opened the door and saw a table covered in plates. One of them had a huge stack of pancakes, the one next to it only had two, one had a stick of butter, another had more pancakes (if anyone wanted extras), and there was also a container with syrup.

"Wow Hermione, you sure go all out for food."

"No it's just that during our years at Hogwarts, I found that you apparently need a lot more food than the rest of us to last half an hour." He shot her a sarcastic look, but she ignored it. "I think you can guess which plate is yours? In case you can't it's the one with most food piled on." He didn't even look at her before he rushed to the table.

He was on his third pancake, when Hermione was in the middle of her first. "Ron, how can you eat three pancakes in two minutes?" He shrugged and went on stuffing himself.

When they were finally done with breakfast, they both got their brooms (Hermione knew how to fly even if she wasn't very good) and flew away to Hogwarts. Ron pushed his Nimbus 2001 to its limit and Hermione was trailing behind on her Comet 260.

"Ron, believe me, if you break your broom, I doubt Nick is going to give you one of his." He ignored her and glanced back looking at her broom.

"Why do you have such a worthless broom? I mean really, it's an antique!"

"I see no need to spend lots of money on a broom, when you can get one that goes just a little slower, for a lower price, and works very well." Ron snorted.

"A little slower? Try about 20 times slower."

"Really you are way too obsessed with Quidditch and flying. Why don't you just become an Animagus? Then you can fly as a bird and not spend money."

"Hello? You're supposed to be the smart one. There's the Animagus tax, and you have to do way too much with the Ministry to become one. And I don't really want to become an illegal Animagus."

"Whatever, we're almost there. I can see a tower."

"Come on, I'll race you there!"

"Ok fine but don't gloat when you win, because I know you will win since I'm not a very good flyer, and you have a better broom."

"Yeah, yeah let's race. Ready? Set. Go!" They sped off, with Ron winning by far. Then Hermione noticed something.

"Looks like you've got competition Ron!" she shouted at him.

"What? You are way behind!"

"No I meant that thing behind me? Yeah it'll pass you in a second, don't worry."

"Huh?" Ron turned his head, and saw a blur coming right at him. At the last second it swerved so it wouldn't hit him and sped past him. Then it stopped and turned around, coming back. It was actually a man on a broomstick.

"Nick?" said Hermione catching up. He grinned.

"Hi guys. I was just talking to Fudge and he said he'll send us an owl when we can reveal our names." He turned to Ron who was staring with his mouth open. "John? John!' he yelled, waving his hand in front of Ron's face.

"What? Oh, hi. So… is that your Lightracer?"

"Yup. You sure you can handle it?" before Ron could answer Hermione interrupted.

"You're a really good flyer. Are you only so good because you're used to your broom? Or can you fly that good on any broom?"

"Oh, I dunno. It's not like I've ridden every broom there is."

"Hey! I've got an idea," said Ron. "How about you and I switch brooms right now and fly around for a bit, before we get started."

"Sure!"

"Guys I don't think that's a good idea I mean switching brooms in midair? You could get seriously hurt. What if you fall? It's so high up, you'll definitely break something," said Hermione. They weren't listening to her though. "John, remember Harry in third year? He was passed out for a while and Dumbledore had slowed down his fall." She bit her lip hoping he wouldn't remember the real reason Harry had lost consciousness. It seemed to work, but only for a second.

"Harriet, you know as well as I do that he passed out because of dementors, not because of falling." Ron and Hermione were focused on each other, so neither of them noticed Nick shift uncomfortably on his broom, looking like he was reliving a very unpleasant memory.

"Still! It's really dangerous." Ron was about to say something when Nick interrupted.

"No really Harriet, John and I are experienced, we won't fall changing brooms. I promise." Hermione looked skeptical, but she gave in.

"All right. But be careful!" With that the men quickly slid off their brooms, onto the other's.

"Wow! This broom is amazing!" exclaimed Ron as he flew around as a blur. Nick looked a little uncomfortable, but he began flying and he soon got used to the broom. He really was an amazing flyer, Hermione thought.

"Yeah so is this one. I mean, it's not as good as mine but I've never been on one of these before." Ron grinned and pulled into a dive. When he was halfway to the ground, his excited shouts turn into frantic ones.

"Help! I can't pull it up! It's going to fast! Oh my God, Nick!" Nick wasted no time to go into a dive and start chasing after Ron. Then Hermione saw the blur that was Ron on the broom, suddenly become two.

"Oh no! Nick he fell off!" Hermione screamed. She watched the man on the broom pushing it as fast as it could go. If he hadn't somehow jumped onto his own broom in the middle of the dive, he wouldn't have reached Ron in time. As it was, he caught him about five seconds before he hit the ground. Hermione flew down to where they landed, grabbing Ron's broom on the way. Nick had put Ron down on the ground and was looking at him.

"John, you ok?" Ron smiled weakly.

"Yeah I'm fine, just shaken I guess. I went too fast and couldn't stop."

"That's a broom you have to get used to. It's my fault, I should have warned you." Ron sat up.

"No it's not. I should have realized how fast the thing went; I should have been more careful." Nick was about to say something when Hermione rushed over.

"John! John, are you ok? I told you it was a bad idea. If it hadn't been for Nick, you might be dead!" Suddenly she started crying.

"Oh yeah you just basically saved my life. Thanks so much!" Ron said to Nick. Then he turned to Hermione and patted her on the back. "Harriet it's ok. Really, I wasn't even falling that fast was I? I would have probably just broken something, at most." Hermione wiped her tears and glared at him.

"For your information, you were falling as fast as that broom was going. You were just a blur! And if you could have just broken something, then how come you thanked Nick for basically saving your life?" Ron opened his mouth to say something but Hermione cut him off. "And even if you would have just broken something, did it ever occur to you that you might have broken your neck? And you!" she turned on Nick, "you were all for switching brooms. I can tell by your flying that you're experienced, so how come you didn't see something like this coming?"

"Harriet, it's not his fault. You both think it is but it's not. I should have realized. Don't blame him," Ron said. Hermione calmed down a bit.

"You're right, sorry Nick, I just freaked."

"It's all right. Hey John you ready to go?"

"Yeah! But this time I'll stick with my broom." Nick grinned.

"Actually, John?" Hermione started.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I could go on your broom? I mean it's only a short distance."

"Oh you mean me take your broom and you'll try out mine because it's so much better?" Hermione scowled.

"Fine, you could just say no you know."

"I was kidding! Of course you can go on my broom."

"Thanks! But to be honest, I'm kind of scared I mean seeing what just happened to you and all…"

"Harriet my broom isn't nearly as fast as his, don't worry."

"Yeah and I'll be here on my broom, and I'll catch you if you fall," Nick added.

"Ok. Let's go then," said Hermione and mounted Ron's broom and kicked off. She rose into the air, so much faster than on her other broom. It was amazing. She saw the other two fly up after her ("God Harriet, how can you ride something so slow?") and she started flying fast so they wouldn't catch up to her. Of course Nick caught up soon and they stopped waiting for John. They waited, and waited, and waited, and finally he flew past them he was swearing that as soon as he got down to the ground, he would give her broom to the Whomping Willow so that she would get a new one. She thought about it. Why not get a Nimbus 2001? It was really fun riding it. Maybe one day she would even be able to get a Firebolt, if she could handle it that is.

Finally they landed, and much to Hermione's surprise, Ron marched over to the Whomping Willow, and threw her Comet 260 into the branches. As soon as it touched the tree, it was demolished in a flail of branches and boughs. She stood there shocked while Ron backed away, clearly expecting her to throw herself at him, but instead she smiled and said,

"So, how much does a Nimbus 2001 cost?"

* * *

After Harry woke up at 6:00, and had breakfast that Dobby, the old and loyal house elf, brought him, he decided to go round the school as an eagle.. He had gotten a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ that morning and already as he had predicted, on the front page was: **Harry Potter sighted in the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade.**_Maria Skeeter reports: "I was walking into the Three Broomsticks, when I saw a very familiar face. Before I had time to confirm that it was Mr. Potter, he ran out. I chased him, and while he was running he turned around and the wind blew his bangs up so I saw his scar. I shouted for him to stop but he turned the corner, and when I got around it he was gone. I looked everywhere and decided he must have Apparated."_

Harry realized that since most of the students were sharing the newspaper with their friends, and they were whispering excitedly, pointing at it, they must all have heard. He even heard some of their conversations.

"I heard he might even come to Hogwarts to hide! Hogsmeade is incredibly close, after all, and Hogwarts is the only place You-Know-Who wouldn't dare to try and break into."

"But what if he does try? Really, what if Harry Potter isn't even going to be here and You-Know-Who breaks in? And if he is, it's still bad."

"Relax; Dumbledore won't let anything happen to us! You know that."

"Yeah I guess." Harry knew they were right though, he was endangering the whole school by being there. He had to leave, but he could only go after he, Ron, and Hermione finished today.

He was wandering about in his Invisibility Cloak and with the Marauders' Map, when he saw the name Jesse Fryer, heading towards a classroom. Harry hurried towards the room and saw Jesse disappear inside. He was so excited about seeing his old roommate that he had forgotten to make sure Jesse was the only one in the room. Harry burst into the room and ran up to Jesse.

"Jesse!" Jesse turned around and stared at Harry. Luckily they were the only two in the room.

"Harry! Oh my God! As soon as I got my memory back and they figured out that I was kidnapped by Lord Voldemort, I was sure you were dead! What happened?"

"He decided to torture me, but then after two years Peter Pettigrew helped me escape, and for another two years I was Midge Moland the midget."

"You mean the Seeker for the American team?" Harry grinned.

"Yup."

"Wow! I went to one of those games, you know. The one where you caught the Snitch in, what was it? Oh yeah, two minutes. It was amazing."

"I know, I was so happy we won, that I sort of forgot to put the Snitch back, and I basically stole it." Jesse laughed. "But then I brought it back, and they told me to keep it. I still have it, it's in my room."

"Cool!"

"Anyway, I just wanted to say hi because I have to leave tonight."

"What? Why?"

"Well I was seen in Hogsmeade, so Lord Voldemort will know I'm most likely here, so he will try and break in and that will be putting everyone in danger. What else do I do?"

"You are such an idiot. You just get sighted somewhere else a couple of times, so he thinks you aren't here anymore."

"Well what if he sees through that?"

"Well what if you leave and he still attacks? Listen we can play this 'what if' game all day, or we can go make your appearance." Harry sighed.

"All right let's go." They walked outside, and when they were in Hogsmeade (since that was the closest place they could Apparate from), they Apparated into a wizard town called Wilmick. It wasn't so far away from the school for his sighting to obviously be just something getting attention away from Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, but it was far enough away, to make a good spot for an appearance.

They walked around for a bit and noticed the press. Apparently they had just finished a big story because they were packing away their cameras, and were starting to Apparate away. Jesse gave Harry a thumbs up, and looked just as interested as everyone else, when one of the people from the press began yelling.

"Look! Look! It's Harry Potter!" Harry pretended to look surprised and ran away. He hadn't been there long enough for them to get a picture, but it was enough for a front page story in tomorrow's newspaper.

Jesse ran up to him grinning.

"That was great! Ok now we need to go to whatever town is near here in a couple of hours." They did in three hours, and again Jesse was in the crowd of people trying to get a look at Harry, while the other man ran away. They planned on going again in a couple of days, but decided it was enough for one day. When they Apparated to Hogsmeade, they saw almost the entire school headed their way. Harry groaned.

"I forgot it was a Hogsmeade weekend."

"Yeah me too, what are we going to do?" suddenly Harry remembered the Cloak. He pulled it out.

"Get under here." They book got under, but they were so tall you could still see there ankles and feet.

"Now what?" asked Jesse. Harry groaned.

"I need to lengthen this thing," he said.

"So what do we do?"

"Knees," said Harry simply, and bent down onto his knees. Jesse was still standing on his feet so Harry grabbed his arm and pulled. That had the desired effect. They began to inch their way slowly, taking care not to bump into anybody. When the two men finally reached the entrance to Hogwarts, they got off of their aching knees and hobbled inside to their rooms, after a hasty goodbye.

Harry immediately put a healing charm on his knees so he could walk normally again. He looked at his watch and realized he was running late. He got his broom, and flew out of the window to the Ministry. He didn't want to risk going to Hogsmeade because there were so many people there.

Once he made it to the Ministry, he ran into the Minister's office and asked him when he and the other aurors would be able to reveal their names. The Minister told him that he'd get an owl soon, and with that Harry ran out of the office and jumped on his broom. He was going at top speed, because he only had two minutes to get back to the school, when he noticed a shape in front of him. As he got nearer, he noticed another shape in front of the first one. He realized that they were people, and guessed that it must be Harriet and John. Harry figured out that the person in the front was John and the other was obviously Harriet. He grinned when he saw her look back at him and then turn and shout something to her companion. He in turn looked back and Harry happily pushed his broom forward. He was just a blur as he passed Harriet, and was headed straight towards John, who was staring at him. At the last moment the star Quidditch player swerved away, then stopped his broom and flew back to his friends. After they talked for a while, he and John switched brooms. They flew around a bit, when John dived.

Suddenly he started calling for help and Harry dived after him. Then he saw John fall off the broom and heard Harriet shout. He got really scared because John was falling fast, and from really high up. When Harry got to level with his own broom (it was slowing down since no one was riding it) he somehow jumped onto it. He didn't even realize how it happened; it was a heat of the moment thing apparently. Then he raced down on his broom and caught John.

Once they were at the school and John had surprised them all by feeding Harriet's broom to the Whomping Willow, and Harriet had, instead of throwing herself at John, asked how much a Nimbus 2001 cost, they went inside to the library.

Harriet shouted happily as if she had just found a long lost friend when they entered. She immediately rushed over to a bookshelf, pulled out a copy of _The History of Curses_ and seated herself at a table. She noticed the men standing there, watching her and gestured for them to begin looking through books. Then she cracked open her book, and after the dust cleared, began reading. Harry and John looked at each other, shrugged, and went to find some books.

Harry decided to start with _Curses you better not perform_. He remembered reading something about the three Unforgivables in there, a long time ago. He noticed John had picked_ Curses, Jinxes, and other not so friendly spells._ They both sat down on either side of Harriet and began reading. It felt like they were at school again.

After three hours, Harry and John were reading their books with great interest. They both loved reading about the history of curses and jinxes. Harry was reading about one wizard who tried out his jinx so many times before he got it right, that when he was done there was an assortment of volunteers who had chicken legs, or whose arms were replaced by wings. There was even one person who had a beak instead of a nose and mouth, feathers instead of fingers, and couldn't say anything at all and instead kept clucking. The jinx was supposed to turn someone into a human chicken. In other words they would look like a person, but they would act like a chicken.

John was reading about one person who tried his jinx out for the first time, but he ended up blowing up his lab, and was left standing in the middle of a pile of rubble, with a smoldering wand. No one ever knew what the jinx was for even, because he forgot. The book said that a lot of people guessed that it was a memory charm, because he couldn't remember anything. If so, then the charm was really bad because since he lost his memory but his lab blew up.

Anyway, they were engrossed in their books (completely forgetting about the task at hand) when Harriet suddenly smacked her forehead.

"How could we have been so stupid?"

"Harriet, what are you talking about?" John asked looking up from his book.

"We should have been searching in the restricted section! Of course there wouldn't be anything about the worst curse ever in the student section. Come on!" he pulled them to their feet and rushed towards the restricted section of the library. Soon they all had a book in front of them describing the way the more gruesome curses were formed. Some results were too disgusting for them to read about. Most of explanations of what happened came with a picture that was very detailed. Soon John let out a cry of triumph.

"Shh, Madam Pince gets really irritated when people are too loud," Harry hissed.

"She's still here? God she must be ancient," John said. Harry nodded in agreement while Harriet asked,

"What did you find?"

"Oh, listen." He cleared his throat and began: "_'The Avada Kedavra curse is one of the three Unforgiveables. It is the worst of them all because once it hits an animal, or person, it kills them immediately. When the curse is performed, the wand releases a green light._

'_The creator of the curse was a woman by the name of Marla Yvon. She invented the curse in 1617. She said her original idea was to make a curse that would make someone look dead for a while, like in Romeo and Juliet, but she pronounced the spell wrong. Instead of saying Avada Cadavera, she said Avada Kedavra. She was testing it out on a volunteer, and of course, sadly, they died._

_Marla Yvon was sentenced to a dementor's kiss. Unfortunately, while she was sitting in prison, it is said someone got in to visit her, and she told them all about the curse and what it did. Apparently, the power of creating something so horrible and amazing got to her and she had to get it out. Because of that feeling of power, the Avada Kedavra curse is still out in the world today, as deadly as ever._

They all sat stunned for a while, thinking about what they just read. John slowly closed the book, copying down the title.

"I guess we're, uh, we're done for today." said Harriet.

"Yeah we probably are," murmured Harry. Suddenly John said what they had all been thinking.

"I can't believe one woman caused it all. I mean she makes up a spell, says it wrong so it kills people, gets sentenced to something worse than death, and then spreads it out into the world from her prison cell! Why would she do something like that? I mean yeah, I get the power aspect, but you don't have a lot of power from the grave, or wherever you go after a welcoming kiss from a dementor."

"Maybe she wanted to be famous? Or you don't think-"Harriet began. John told her to go on. "You don't think she wanted revenge on all the people who sentenced her?" John looked thoughtful.

"It's a pretty good assumption but there's one problem. Surely she would have realized that the curse would kill a lot more people than the ones who decided her fate. It might have only been used on one of them if any!"

"They don't care about that," said Harry quietly.

"What?" Harriet asked.

"When people want revenge, they don't care about all the innocent people dying because of it and they don't care if none of the people responsible for their death are going to die. Well, unless they do it by themselves. If they get their revenge by themselves, they target the people who ruined them or their lives or something like that. If they get someone else to do it for them, then killing as many people as possible is their revenge. Especially if it's done with the thing they were condemned for." Nobody said anything after that, they just sat in silence.

After ten minutes of thinking it all over John said,

"Well that's enough depressing news for a day don't you think?"

"Yeah," Harry agreed, "do you guys want to go down to Hogsmeade and get some butterbeers?" At this thought everyone brightened considerably and agreed. Harry turned to John. "I take it you don't want to try out the Firebolt?"

"No, thanks, I'd probably be too scared to enjoy it. Maybe I'll find one somewhere and take a ride sometime later. What time is it anyway?"

"Around five," answered Harriet looking at her watch.

"Wow, we've been here all day. How about we go to my room and then I'll find you a broom, so we can get to Hogsmeade," Harry offered Harriet, standing up.

"Ok," Harriet answered. "Thanks." They all went up to his room, and then he disappeared into the bathroom. He locked himself in, and flew out the window as an eagle.

* * *

"So, Hermione, do you still think it's Harry?"

"No, he'd have had to have changed too much."

"Would this change be for better or worse?"

"I'm not so sure. I definitely like this guy though."

"Yeah me too but he's strange."

"How so?"

"Well, for one thing, he promised you a broom, and then went into the bathroom."

"So? He might have just needed to go to the bathroom, Ron! What did you think people usually did in one?" Ron grinned.

"Ok, have it your way. I bet you twenty galleons he's going to come out of there with a broom in hand."

"Fine, but I'm warning you, you should be prepared to lose."

"Look who's talking, and if I win, no saying that he conjured it up because you know as well as I do that a) he wouldn't have done it in the bathroom and b) even if you conjure a top of the line broom, it turns out really bad and flies horribly."

"Ok no saying that he conjured it up, I get it."

Meanwhile……

Harry flew out of the window, down to the broom shed. Luckily Madam Hooch was there, and she let him borrow one of the school brooms. He took it in his talons, and flew up to his window again.

After transforming in the bathroom, he opened the door and walked out holding the broom. He heard Harriet groan, and John shout in triumph. He was confused until he saw Harriet hand John some gold. He smiled.

"You guys were betting on if I would come out of the bathroom with a broom or not?" John grinned.

"Yup, and guess who won." He waved the money bag that held his new money in front of Harriet's face and exclaimed gleefully. "Me!"

"Yes, ok, John you won, let's go now," said Harriet crossly, and grabbing the broom from Harry, flew out of the window. John found his and Harry's brooms. He walked over to the other man and asked,

"How did you get the broom?"

"Oh I have my ways," said Harry, then grabbed his broom and flew off, with John hot on his heels.

* * *

Even though Hermione had a head start, Nick soon caught up with her, and so did Ron, not long after. They landed in front of the Three Broomsticks, and holding their brooms at their sides, walked inside.

"Butterbeers for everyone?" Nick asked.

"Yes," said Ron and Hermione and went to find a table, while Nick gave the order to Madam Rosmerta. He came back muttering.

"I swear that woman has to stop giving me everything for free. If I start coming here every day, I'll soon put her out of business." Ron and Hermione laughed and took their drinks.

They sat there, talking for about an hour. They had all had three butterbeers each and were about to order some water, for their fourth round instead of butterbeers, when a barn owl flew in through the window on the table, near Hermione. She took the letter off the owl's leg, and it flew off immediately. Hermione began to open the letter. She read it and gasped.

"We can tell each other our real names!" Nick and Ron looked happy, but Nick looked slightly nervous, as well. "Who wants to go first?"

"Well I suppose you should, since you're the one the owl came to and all," said Ron.

"Ok, my name's Hermione Granger," she announced, more to Nick than Ron, since the latter already knew. Nick nodded and pointed to Ron. Apparently he had figured out that Ron and Hermione already knew each other's names.

"I'm Ron Weasley." Nick nodded again, as if he knew it all along. "And you?" Ron asked him excitedly. Nick stuck out his hand.

"I'm Harry Potter."


	6. The dementors

Disclaimer: I don't own hp

Ron and Hermione sat there staring him. He lowered his hand. Suddenly Ron was enraged.

"What?" Harry heard the anger in his voice, and suddenly he was mad as well. How could they have thought he had started ignoring them? After all they had been through, shouldn't they have realized something was wrong, even if Hedwig didn't try and get help? He knew they couldn't have done anything, but they had no right to be mad at him.

"You heard me," he said icily. "I'm Harry Potter."

"How dare you? _How dare you!_?" Ron exclaimed.

"How dare I what?"

"Try and be friends with us again? How dare you try something like that, after what you did? We're going to the Ministry right-" Harry interrupted him. He was losing his temper, fast. Hermione was watching them with wide eyes, she knew how short both their tempers were, and she also knew what they could do if they got mad enough.

"No, how dare _you?_"

"What are you talking about?"

"You basically abandoned me. Did it ever occur to you that I might not be able to write to you? Sure Hedwig didn't come get help, but maybe that was because she was told not to"

"If you were in trouble, why would you have told her not to go and get help? If someone else told her, she'd still go."

"Because there would have been no point in trying to get help; nobody would be able to find the place where I was it's the Death Eater Headquarters do you really think they'd make it easy to find? And even if they did find the place, they would be totally outnumbered by Death Eaters and they'd be killed quickly."

"Oh I get it, famous Harry Potter plays the hero by not getting help, since that could hurt other people. You know, you're not the only person who can fight Death Eaters."

"Lord Voldemort also stays there, and I'm the only person who can possibly kill him, it's the prophecy." For a second they were silent. Then Harry thought about Ron's words. "Is that really what you guys think of me then?" They looked confused. "That I'm always just trying to play the hero who saves everyone? I always thought you would be the last people to think that. I guess I was wrong."

"Well, it's true." Ron knew it wasn't, but he was too angry and upset to step down. Harry stood up angrily.

"I also always thought that if Ron did start believing something like this, Hermione would understand. But apparently not."

"What? She hasn't said anything!" Ron exclaimed. "Don't go accusing her of betraying you."

"Actually, I do have the right to do that. Right Hermione?" she looked up at him.

"W-what?"

"I was there at the ministry when you came to Fudge's office. I heard everything." Then he turned on his heel, and strode out.

"Ron, why did you do that?" Hermione hissed.

"Do what?"

"Start an argument between you two."

"Wait, you're on his side now? You believe his story?"

"Story? What story? Because of you there is no story to believe!"

"What do you mean by that?"

"If you had given him a chance to explain we might all be friends again by now!"

"Given him a chance? He would have just made up a stupid story!"

"He might not have!"

"Hermione, face it. He just abandoned us."

"Well then why did he come back?"

"He got assigned to this case with us."

"How are you so sure he abandoned us anyway?"

"It's obvious! Remember the reasons?"

"Yeah, but what if he really was telling the truth a moment ago? About being kidnapped by the Death Eaters and that most likely nobody would be able to find the place, and even if they did there would be Lord Voldemort there?"

"He was gone for four years. Voldemort would have killed him by then"

"Maybe, but maybe not, we should go find him."

"Hermione we have no chance of finding him! He'll be long gone by now."

"Still, we know he lives at Hogwarts. We can go there, and if he's not in his room, we can wait for him to come back." Ron sighed in defeat.

"All right, but first let's go get you a broom." Hermione jumped up.

"Oh yeah! There's a quidditch store here. Let's go!" forgetting all about Harry for the moment, they both grabbed their brooms and ran to the quidditch store. They walked inside and the first things they saw were signs on every wall saying: **Nimbus 2000's and 2001's on sale! 2000's for 50 galleons! 2001's for 63! Get them now, before they run out!**

"Wow! 63 galleons, that's so cool!" Hermione exclaimed. She rushed up to a shelf, and grabbed the first Nimbus 2001 she saw. She was making her way to the counter to pay for it, when Ron stopped her.

"You can't just take any broom. You have to make sure it's in perfect condition, see this one had a lot of broken and bent twigs. Come on, I'll find you a good one." He inspected almost every broom in the New Brooms section while Hermione just stood in the main part of the store. Finally, after fifteen minutes, he came over to her and handed her a broom. She noticed he had another one in his hand, but she didn't pay attention to it. Instead she inspected her own broom. The twigs were all in perfect condition, the handle was polished and clean. There was nothing wrong.

"It's perfect!" she cried. "Thanks Ron!" They stepped into the line as he said,

"Your welcome. Look what I found." He stuck out the other broom. It was a Lightracer.

"You want to buy that? Ron, remember what happened today?"

"No, Hermione, I don't want to buy it. Oh it's your turn, I'll tell you later."

"Ok." Hermione paid for her broom, and they walked into the front of the store to get their brooms, which were on the customer's broom shelves. They were walking to the exit and Hermione asked "So what about the broom? And why are you still holding it?"

"I found it near the door, and nobody was standing with it."

"So….?"

"They don't sell Lighracers here yet. The reason they're having this sale, is so they have more room and money to buy Lighracers."

"Ron that means you stole it! Go put it back!" Ron sighed.

"Hermione, stop." She did as she was told, and looked at him questioningly. He handed her the broom. "Now, look at this, closely." She looked all over the broom but didn't notice anything. Then a light coming from the broom caught her attention. She looked at the spot where she saw the light, and saw some gold letters. They said **H.P**

"Does that mean this is Harry's broom?" she asked, handing the broomstick back to Ron.

"Most likely."

"But why was it there? We didn't see him anywhere in here. There's no way we could have missed him. There are three rooms, and you were in the New Brooms room, while I was in the main room. I never left this room, and we just passed the Used Brooms room and there was no one in there."

"Exactly why I took it; he would never have just left a broom like this somewhere, and then left."

"So then why was it there?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know. We should take it with us to Hogwarts."

"Yeah, let's go. It's getting late." They stepped outside, and saw a mob of people heading to the right of the quidditch store. They all crowded around something. Ron and Hermione looked at each other, and then headed over to the crowd. They couldn't see what everyone was trying to get a glimpse of, because of all the witches and wizards crowded in front of them.

"Excuse me? What is everyone looking at?" Ron asked a young witch, with blond hair. She didn't answer him, and instead kept pushing the people in front of her. "Ok thanks." Ron said sarcastically. He was about to ask someone else, when they heard a shout.

"Get away from me!" There were so many people chattering excitedly, that the two friends couldn't recognize the voice. Then suddenly they heard many cries of pain behind them. They looked over their shoulders and saw that there were tons of people standing behind them, most of them looking confused, some looking interested, and some grimacing in pain. The explanation for that came soon enough. A woman in high heels, bright pink robes, and a matching hat, was getting people out of the way by hitting them with her crocodile skin purse. The purse was pretty big, and it looked heavy. Hermione and Ron moved out of the way, just as the woman came, waving her bag around randomly, people leaping this way and that to avoid it.

"Who was that?" Hermione asked.

"Maria Skeeter, Rita Skeeter's daughter. Acts just like her. I'd stay clear."

"It looks like she's going to get to whoever's in the middle of the crowd. I feel really bad for them."

"Yeah me too. Wonder who it is?"

"Dunno. Some celebrity," Hermione said. Ron snorted.

"Maybe Lockhart's got his memory back? But then he'd be soaking up the attention instead of trying to get away."

"Maybe the person who shouted for them to get away wasn't the person in the middle, so it might be Lockhart."

"Whatever, let's get out of here." There was no way to get out of there easily besides flying so Hermione mounted her new broom, holding the school's one, and Ron did the same holding Harry's broom. They up above the crowd and saw photographers apparating at the scene. Suddenly there was a blue light and the people towards the middle of the mob flew back, hitting the people behind them and they in turn hit the witches and wizards in back of them. It kept going like that (the crowd was huge as it was the time of day most that Hogsmeade got the most visitors) until there was a clear path in front of the unfortunate person who everyone was trying to look at. Hermione and Ron looked down and realized it was a man. They saw that he was running out of the crowd, but he didn't make it. Maria Skeeter (who had been in the line of fire) had gotten back up, and was chasing after the celebrity. She took what looked like a flying jump but was really just her tripping on her eight inch heels, and grabbed the running man's ankles, bringing them down to the ground. He leapt up with his wand out. By then he was surrounded again. Ron and Hermione recognized him at once.

"Harry!" Hermione cried. He looked up at her. So did the mob.

"Catch!" Ron shouted as he threw down Harry's Lightracer. He caught it and mounted it as fast as he could. He flew out of the crowd; they were all watching him in awe of how fast the broom could go. He was followed by shouts of

"Is that a Lightracer?"

And:

"Wow! What an amazing broom. Where'd you get it?" Harry raced past Ron and Hermione, and they followed him. Soon they were flying over the countryside, towards a waterfall. Harry, seemingly unaware that the other two were behind him, landed on the rocks and sat down hugging his knees. Ron and Hermione landed softly behind him, and put their brooms next to his. It was only when they sat down beside him that he realized they were there.

"What do you want?" he asked harshly, though his voice was shaking slightly. Hermione realized he was crying. She put her arm around his shoulders but he shrugged it off. He wiped his eyes and repeated "What do you want?" this time he voice was strong, and clear.

"We…" Ron began. He looked uncomfortable.

"You….."

"We wanted to apologize. We should have listened to what you have to say before we, ok I, attacked you. We shouldn't have ever gotten mad at you when you stopped writing. You were right, just because Hedwig didn't get help, that didn't mean anything. I'm really sorry." Ron said, and it was obvious he meant it. Hermione stared at him. 'Where did that all come from?' she had never known Ron was so good with apologies. 'And when did he change his mind? A little while ago he hated Harry.' As if reading her mind, Ron went on. "I know I was really mad at you a while ago, but I thought it over in the quidditch store, and while we were in the crowd, and I realized we were wrong. I really want to hear your story now."

"Me too. And I'm also really sorry about what I said. That day at the Ministry I was just upset and worried at the same time and I couldn't hold it in any longer." Hermione said. Harry looked at them both. It looked like he was still mad, but then he smiled.

"Thanks guys." He sighed and stood up, looking over the waterfall, at the countryside. "I always came here when we were at Hogwarts, to think. I found the place when Sirius escaped from Azkaban. I used it most when he died. It really helped." He turned to look at his friends. "All right, I'll tell you what happened." Harry conjured up three blankets, and made a place to start a fire. After the fire was going, he handed Ron and Hermione two blankets, and kept one for himself. They all walled over to the fire, and sat down curled up in their blankets. The blankets were really warm, which was good since it was late at night, and it was cold near a waterfall, especially when there's no sunlight. They were mesmerized by the orange flames, jumping here and there, as if they were dancing. Finally Hermione spoke up.

"Harry?"

"What? Oh yeah." Switching positions so he was comfortable, he began. "Well, on Friday night, four years ago, I came home with a movie. It was tradition, even before we lived together, for Jess and I to watch a movie on Friday night. We had been doing it for a year, and neither of us had ever missed it. Anyway, I couldn't find him, so I decided he was running late. I went into my room to send Hermione a letter, and Hedwig was there looking all scared and frantic. When she saw me she flew over, and landed on my shoulder. I didn't pay attention to the fact that she was so distressed, and picked up the letter to tie it to Hedwig. Apparently it had been turned into a portkey, and I was taken to a place I didn't recognize. I found Jesse there tied up and gagged. I untied him, and conjured up my floo powder. He told me he had been kidnapped, and they told him I was a wizard.

"He was just about to go when Lucius Malfoy came in. Jesse barely made it. So Lucius warned me about how bad it would be if Jesse told anybody, and locked me in. I took the letter and sent it off with Hedwig, who was still with me.

"The next morning, Peter came in with food, and he seemed really scared of me. Whatever, that's not important. So I got your letter and the picture, Hermione." He pulled out the photograph, which he always kept with him. It was in bad condition, dirty, with fold marks, and torn at the edges, but it was still recognizable. Hermione gasped.

"You still have that? Oh my God!"

"Yeah how could I not?"

"Wow, anyway please continue," the young woman said.

"Ok. So then I hid the letters and picture, and Draco Malfoy came in. He took me to a room, and we got in a fight. Then Voldemort made him get off and I saw Snape. Voldemort told me that I wouldn't be able to use magic in my room, then that if I sent a letter to anybody they would die, um, oh yeah! Also that I can get letters, and my torture session would begin the next day." Ron and Hermione gasped. "Then Snape took me back to my room. The next day they took me into the room again and all the Death Eaters, and Tom, watched as I was locked in a room with see-through walls, and a dementor was let in. I got it to go away, but they let in more. Then after ten of them, I passed out. I think for two weeks. I got all of your last letters, and when I read the very last one, Malfoy Jr. brought me a newspaper from that day. It was the one where they started noticing me disappearing. It seemed you stopped looking a day early. And I got the letter from Dumbledore, and apparently the Death Eaters sent him a letter saying I was fine, after I got it.

"So the torture continued, though sometimes he used the crucatius curse. Anyway, after two years Peter came in and gave me floo powder, and then killed himself." At this point Ron interrupted him.

"But why?"

"Because of what he did to me and my family."

"Took him long enough" Ron sneered. Harry sighed.

"If he had done it before, I would still be locked up or dead."

"Oh. Never mind then."

"Yeah. On with the story." Harry said as he moved closer to the fire and continued. "Snape came in just as I was getting into the fireplace. He didn't even try and stop me; I suppose he was too shocked at what he saw. I bet he's dead now because of it."

"No, he's not," Hermione said.

"What?" Harry asked, confused.

"He reapplied for the potions job at Hogwarts, but Professor Lupin made sure he didn't get it. Not that Dumbledore would take him back. It appears he ran away, or was kicked out or something. He's living on an island somewhere."

"Oh. Professor Lupin's still there? I didn't know, I'll have to see him," Harry said.

"Ok enough with this talk about Snape and Lupin. Keep going," Ron said excitedly.

"All right, where was I? Oh right, I went to Fred and George's shop, and I told them everything. So they made me go hide in the backroom, when Draco came in looking for me. He went into the backroom but didn't find me. He did knock over the many boxes of dungbombs I was hiding behind." Ron snickered. "Oh shut up Ron, I'm getting to a part you should be interested in." Ron was confused but didn't say anything. "So when he left Fred and George started disguising me. Then Mrs. Weasley came in and Fred went to distract her. Then you" he nodded at Ron "and Ginny came in. While you were talking, George had turned me into Midge Moland the Midget." He looked over at Ron, who was blushing furiously.

"What's wrong Ron?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing," he mumbled. Harry grinned.

"In a nutshell, Midge reminded them of me," Harry explained to Hermione, "and Ron stormed out."

"Why?" Hermione was confused. Ron blushed even more when Harry said,

"Yes tell her Ronnykins."

"Oh shut up and get on with the story," Ron said to the other man. Hermione looked at them and sighed.

"Whatever, I don't care. Keep going Harry."

"So then everyone else figured out who I am, and Fred and George took me to America for two years. I became the seeker for the American team and bought them the apartment we were renting. Then we came back and I became Harry Potter again, and I got assigned this case and you know the rest up to the point where I left the Three Broomsticks. You want to know what happened?" they nodded. "I was walking down the street to clear my head, when someone started yelling 'Look its Harry Potter!' and they grabbed my broom and tossed it inside the quidditch store. So there was a huge crowd around me, and I couldn't get out so I stunned the people in front of me when they wouldn't go away, and they knocked down people behind me until I had a path. You probably saw Maria Skeeter attack me," they nodded again. "And I guess you found my broom in the quidditch store, since you threw it down to me. And that's the whole story." Ron grinned.

"Yeah we saw that stunning spell, and let me tell you, it was pretty powerful." Hermione agreed and then they all sat just thinking. Then Hermione burst into tears and threw her arms around Harry.

"I'm so sorry!" she cried. "I can't believe we were mad at you, while you were going through that!" Ron noticed Harry looked amused.

"What's so funny?" he asked his friend.

"It's just Mrs. Weasley reacted the same way as Hermione." Ron laughed.

"I can imagine." Hermione pulled away from Harry, and looked at him and Ron.

"We're friends again, right?"

"Of course," they both said at the same time. Laughing, they all lay down on their backs, and looked up at the starry sky. They watched the sky for a while before Hermione suddenly startled the men by shouting out.

"Hey!" she sat up and glared at Harry. He looked back.

"What?"

"When you sent us the letter that said we would be able to use the Hogwarts library without interruptions because nobody normal goes to a library on a Saturday, you were making fun of me! You knew who I was because of the thing at the Ministry." Harry grinned but didn't say anything. Suddenly she jumped on him and sat on him, pinning him down. "Apologize, please." She said curtly. He could have easily thrown her off, and was about to do so, when Ron came and sat down next to Hermione, pretending not to notice he was sitting on Harry. Since Ron weighed a lot more than Hermione, he knocked the wind out of Harry when he sat on him.

"So how are you Hermione?" Ron asked as if they were sitting on a bench in the park.

"Splendid, thank you, how are you?" Hermione replied. Harry was struggling beneath them.

"Guys, you're crushing me. Ron! You're about to break my ribs! I can't breathe, I can't- I can't…" he trailed off gasping for breath but then he became limp. Hermione jumped up.

"Oh my God! We've killed him! Get off, why are you still sitting on him?"

"Because, Hermione, he's pretending just so we'll get off him." She fixed him with a death glare.

"Oh yeah? Do you feel him breathing beneath you?"

"Um, no," Ron said uncertainly then jumped to his feet. "Oh my God! We really did kill him!"

"What do we do?"

"I'll check for a pulse, maybe he's alive," Ron said as he began walking towards Harry. Right when he was kneeling down, Harry jumped up, and ran away from them, stopping only when he was a safe distance away. "Harry you idiot! You scared us to death! Not to mention the fact that I almost had a heart attack when you jumped up like that!" Ron yelled.

"Ah well whatcha gonna do?" Harry yelled back.

"I'm going to kill you for real this time!"

"Oh no, I'm so scared please don't Ron," Harry said in a high voice. Ron started chasing him, but he was too far away. Hermione looked at them running and rolled her eyes. Lying back down, she listened to the sound of the waterfall, and the two men's shouts, and soon she was fast asleep.

When Ron and Harry finally stopped running, they went back to Hermione and noticed she was sound asleep. They lay down, once again, and started talking about their years at Hogwarts. Soon Hermione woke up, scolded them for making enough noise not to let her sleep, and joined in their conversation.

Since none of them had their watches on, they didn't know what time it was, but after three hours of talking, they all went to sleep.

* * *

In her sleep, Hermione pulled her blanket farther up, near her neck because it had gotten so cold. The blanket was not helping, so she woke up, not able to sleep any longer in such weather. She sat up angrily, and looked around, as if trying to find someone to blame for the cold. She saw Harry and Ron both stirring beside her trying to get away from the ice that was forming on them. Both of them woke up at the same time and saw Hermione looking at them.

"What's going on?" Ron asked groggily, rubbing his arms.

"I don't know, I woke up because it was so cold and my blanket wasn't helping. I wonder what's wrong with the weather; it shouldn't be freezing, it's the middle of July!" Harry suddenly sat bolt upright and started staring fiercely into the trees. Ron and Hermione looked too, but didn't see anything.

"What's there Harry?" Ron asked. He was more awake now and sitting up. Harry didn't answer; instead he scrambled to his feet, and pulled out his wand.

"Stand up," he said quietly.

"Why?" Ron asked.

"STAND UP!" Harry bellowed. Hermione and Ron got to their feet quickly and also took out their wands. They were all standing in a triangle, back to back, each facing a different direction. Next to them were the blankets and their brooms.

"Harry, what is it?" Hermione asked desperately.

"Think happy thoughts." Was all he said. Immediately his friends understood. They raised their wands, getting ready to say the spell, and remembering all their happiest memories.

Soon the first dementor came. It swooped down on Hermione and she yelled.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Her otter patronus emerged from her wand and chased the dementor away. But more came. Soon there were about five dementors: one on Ron, one on Hermione, and three on Harry. It was as if they knew he had the best patronus of the three of them.

Ron was having trouble with his patronus, but at the last moment the silver bear came out of his wand.

Since they were getting rid of so many dementors so fast, all three friends were tiring quickly. Ron was doing very well, but since he was the least experienced with the charm, his bear was becoming less and less visible until it was just a think wisp of silvery smoke. A dementor floated up to him and started sucking his soul, but Hermione got rid of it. Once it was gone, Ron collapsed in a heap. Now Harry and Hermione had double the work, but they were weakening fast. The dementors kept on coming.

It seemed like all was lost when Harry's patronus stopped coming out of his wand. Hermione had two dementors on her, to keep her at bay while their companions finished Harry. They didn't even seem to sense Ron anymore.

The young woman was backing up and shooting her patronus at the dementors around Harry, but she was so weak, it couldn't reach them, so she got rid of her dementors instead. She realized Harry and the dementors surrounding him were in front of her, behind her dementors. She was deciding what to do when Ron woke up. He jumped to his feet, and shot his patronus at Harry's dementors. They backed off, slightly and Hermione and Ron saw Harry. He was sitting on the ground, his head in between his knees, with his wand on held loosely in his hand. He was hearing his mom and dad's death, and that cruel and shrill laugh, but he had to bear it to save himself, and his friends; he had to restore his energy. Of course, Ron and Hermione didn't know that.

"Ron, what are we going to do?" Hermione asked frantically, backing away from the dementors in front of her. She got rid of them and thought of what Ron had done. How he had basically saved Harry's life, or at least bought them a moment or two to figure something out.

"I don't know Hermione." Before he fell down unconscious again, he shot the charm past Hermione, and looking over her shoulder, she noticed the bear chasing the dementor that had been floating behind her away. She looked back at Ron but he was on the ground. Hermione had no idea of what to do. She was incredibly scared that this was the end for all of them. She looked towards Harry again. Through a small gap between the dementors she saw that there were so many crowded around him with their hoods down that he couldn't even move if he wanted to. Hermione suddenly realized she had no idea if he was conscious or even alive.

She knew their only hope was Harry casting his patronus but if he was conscious, he needed room to get up and for that the dementors needed to be distracted. She had to get over there somehow, but there was a dementor blocking her. What Hermione had to do suddenly hit her. She understood it was mostly likely suicidal, but it was the only chance they had. She took a deep breath, held it and stepped _through_ the dementor.

Immediately she felt cold. It was the coldest she'd ever been in her life, and she shut her eyes against it.

There was nothing inside her, no emotion except sadness. It felt like her heart had shriveled up and stopped beating, yet she lived on. Then there was nothing. The freezing feeling was gone, and the cold that met her instead, felt like warm sunshine. She opened her eyes, and found herself on the other side of the dementor. She looked back, and saw the dementor dissolve.

She remembered why she had walked through the horrid thing, and looked at the mass of dementors in front of her. As she had hoped, they had backed away from Harry, distracted by Hermione. The man still didn't move though. Hermione felt her heart sink. There was no hope. Harry was dead or unconscious, and she herself was barely alive or on the verge of unconsciousness, she didn't know which. She sank down onto her knees and looked at the sky. The sun was still there, and it blinded her eyes so she looked away. The woman looked everywhere except the mob of dementors and Harry. She turned her head to look at Ron, but a sudden movement caught her eye. Glancing over to where she had seen the movement, she saw Harry standing up his wand in hand.

She watched as he screamed the charm, and the stag erupted from his wand and chased the crowd of dementors away.

Then Harry stumbled up to her. He took her hand, and helped her stand up. She was swaying on her feet, and barely able to walk as they went over to Ron. The last thing she remembered was Harry pulling them weakly over to the brooms. Then blackness swallowed her up.


	7. The hospital

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

Ron slowly opened his eyes, only to shut them immediately. The place he was in was full of light. The walls were white, the lamps lit even though outside it was daylight.

He opened his eyes again, shielding them with his hand, and sat up. The first thing he noticed was he was on something soft. He lay back again for a second and felt something as nice as a cloud under his head. He realized he must be on a bed somewhere. He sat up again, still shielding his eyes. Once he was used to the brightness, he took away his hand and looked around. As was said before the walls were all white, making it seem to Ron that he would go crazy any minute if he didn't find something that wasn't that color. He looked at his bedside table on his right, and saw a bouquet of blue flowers. Next to the vase was a lamp that was lit, but it really made no difference. Outside the sun was shining, and the sky was a clear blue with no clouds.

The young man saw there were blue curtains, arranged in a semi-circle as if surrounding something to his left. There were more curtains, arranged in exactly the same way to his right. He was starting to wonder where he was exactly, and what was behind the curtains, when the curtains on his left started shaking slightly. He instinctively reached for his wand, but it wasn't there. He looked down and saw he wasn't in normal robes. They were hospital robes!

"Ron?" came a voice on the left side of the room. He looked over and saw a brown haired head sticking out of the curtains.

"Hermione!"

"Do you know where we are?" she asked looking around. Then she winced and put her hands to her eyes. "Ugh why is it so bright?"

"It's just the walls. Anyway I think we're in a hospital. Look at your robes." She glanced down. She was wearing hospital robes just like Ron's.

"Oh. Do you know what we're doing here and what happened yesterday?"

"No, I'm having recollections of being near some waterfall or something."

"Yeah, me too." Hermione looked over his shoulder. "Who's behind those curtains?"

"I don't know. I'm starving though. I hope they serve food here, Ron said.

"Why don't you just go look for some then?" Hermione asked.

"Good idea." He swung his legs over the side of his bed and stood up. Or at least he tried to. The minute he wasn't being supported by the bed anymore, he fell to the ground as if his legs were made of rubber.

"Ron! You ok?" Hermione asked. She tried to stand up too, in order to get to her friend but even before she let go of her support, her legs gave way, and she was hanging on to the bed.

Somehow she managed to get back into her bed and satisfied herself with trying to see Ron by looking over his.

"Yes but why won't my legs work?" he said, hoisting himself up unto the hospital cot.

"I don't know. The only reason I can come up with is if we were under a lot of stress and/or doing something that really weakened us. But I can't remember anything like that, can you?"

"No, all I remember is the waterfall and talking about Hogwarts with you and Harry-" he stopped short. "Harry! I wonder where he is."

"Me too, I hope he's ok."

"Yeah," Ron agreed. They talked for a bit longer until a door in the corner of the room opened. A plump lady with auburn hair piled in a bun on top of her head, came in carrying two trays of food. Her robes where white just like the walls in Ron and Hermione's room, and she looked to be about thirty-five.

"Hello dears. I see you're finally awake," she said cheerfully. Hermione began to panic.

"What do you mean finally? What time is it?" The woman (she was a medi-witch) smiled in amusement.

"It's 11:00 a.m."

Ron was confused.

"So then why did you say we were 'finally awake'?" he asked.

"Well it's July 29th. You've been unconscious for three weeks." They gaped at her.

"W-what?" Ron spluttered.

"How?" Hermione said at the same time.

"Well, I suppose I can tell you. Friday morning, three weeks ago, a man carrying four brooms, and supporting two unconscious people Apparated into our Apparation room."

"Apparation room?" Hermione asked, confused.

"It's the only place someone can Apparate here so they don't Apparate in the way of someone on a stretcher or something."

"Oh. Where are we anyway?" The medi-witch chuckled.

"You're at St. Mungo's. Now on with the story. The man who Apparated into the building was barely conscious himself; in fact he collapsed as soon as he got here. You two were the people he was supporting, and you were all put in this room. You've been out cold for three weeks."

"But do you know what happened to us?" Ron asked impatiently.

"Yes we do, by doing something we only do in case of an emergency"

"What's that?" Hermione asked eagerly.

"We went into your memories." Hermione gasped. Ron knew it was a very dangerous thing to do, but he decided not to ask questions about that. Instead he wanted to know about what happened to them.

"And what did you find?" he inquired.

"Well it appears you were attacked by many, many dementors and Mr. Weasley" she nodded at Ron "passed out first, him being the least experienced in the area of patronuses." The man blushed. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, as it's a very complicated charm." The witch reassured him. "Anyways, Ms. Granger and your companion, Mr. Potter," Ron opened his mouth but Hermione told him to shut it and wait, "were left with double the work. For a while Ms. Granger didn't know if he was conscious or alive. She began weakening fast and saw he was slumped on the ground with dementors crowding around him. Then Mr. Weasley woke up and helped her out a bit, but then lost consciousness once again."

"Wow." Ron said. "Keep going!"

"You can call us Hermione, Ron, and Harry instead of Mr. Potter, by the way," Hermione informed the other woman.

"All right, so Hermione noticed that if Harry was alive and conscious, he needed room to get up and for that the dementors needed to be distracted. So Hermione walked through the dementor in front of her." Hermione stared at the medi-witch.

"What?" she said unbelievingly. "I would never be able to do that."

"Well you did, and the dementor dissolved. The other dementors got distracted and backed away from Harry a bit, and he stood up and got rid of them. When we looked into his memory we found that he was regaining his energy and strength while he was sitting there. It still amazes us that he didn't lose consciousness sitting there listening to the screams of his parents and..." her voice broke and Ron shuddered, thinking about what Harry must have had to go through. Hermione patted the older woman on the back, calming her down.

"It's ok," Hermione said soothingly. "What happened next?" The medi- witch pulled herself together, and continued.

"He got you two and Apparated with the brooms to the hospital. Somewhere between the time when he got you and came here, you passed out Hermione."

"Oh, I see," Hermione said quietly. "Thanks for telling us."

"Your welcome."

"How's Harry?" Ron suddenly burst out. "Will he be ok? Is he asleep or unconscious? He's behind those curtains, isn't he?"

"He's fine, he'll most likely be ok, he is unconscious still, and yes he's behind the curtains. But don't worry about him; it takes more than dementors to kill Harry Potter." Hermione and Ron nodded, grinning knowingly.

"Can we see him?" Hermione asked.

"For the moment you can't even walk, Ms. Granger."

"Right, about that, how come we can't stand up?" Ron said.

"It took all your strength to save yourselves, and you are still very weak. In about a week, two at most, you'll be up and running again."

"And Harry? How soon do you think he'll wake up?" Hermione asked frantically.

"We don't know, we just don't know," said the witch sadly shaking her head. "You know food helps rebuild your strength." They just looked at her. "Hint, hint." She added. Then they smelled the food and made grabs for it. The medi-witch got up from the chair she had sat down in during the story, and made to leave. But suddenly Hermione cried,

"Wait! How come we don't remember any of this?"

"We gave you a temporary memory potion, so that you wouldn't have any dreams about this, or any unpleasant memories until you were ready to face it again," she answered and left.

"I hope Harry's going to be ok," said Hermione worriedly, picking at her food.

"Hermione, you heard what the Barbara said; it takes more than dementors to kill Harry."

"Barbara?

"Yeah she had a name tag."

"Oh." Hermione did look slightly better at that thought (the one about Harry being fine not about the name tag) and started eating again.

* * *

The next day the two friends got their memories back. It wasn't a pleasant experience, but it was still better than being almost completely clueless about what happened.

They also started trying to walk again. They were regaining strength fast, with the help of various potions.

A week after they both woke up, they were walking around the hospital, almost as easily as they always had. When they got back to their room, they smelled food, and heard someone eating furiously. The smell and sound came from Harry's sound of the room. Ron and Hermione looked at each other excitedly and ran over to the curtains. Wrenching them open, they saw a very pale Harry, stuffing food in his mouth, not even looking at what he was eating.

Since he didn't seem to notice them, Ron cleared his throat. The other man looked up at him, startled, and then smiled broadly.

"Ron! Hermione!" he shouted.

"Harry! Are you ok?" they both asked in unison. They all laughed briefly, and then Harry said,

"Well I can't walk, I can barely lift my arms" they noticed for the first time, how close he was leaning to the plate. "And I can't remember what happened, what was it, four weeks ago? Other than that I'm fine."

"Oh," said Hermione quietly.

"You look like you're having trouble there Harry," Ron sniggered. "You don't need the plate any closer do you?" Harry glared at him.

"Oh shut up, you should have seen me try and lift my fork today. It felt like it weighed one hundred pounds." Ron grinned, and Hermione smiled.

"You should have seen us try and walk," she said. Harry laughed.

"I can imagine. I bet it couldn't have been harder than it was for me. I didn't even have the use of my arms, so I couldn't get up until a medi-witch came to help me." His friends howled with laughter, thinking about how Harry would look rolling around on the ground trying to get up, not able to use his arms or legs. "You know, you're supposed to be my friends," said Harry pretending to pout. They were about to reply when there came a shout.

"Mr. Potter! I thought I told you to finish eating and try to sleep right after! You need all the rest you can get, and you still haven't finished your food!" Another medi-witch, named Alison, rushed up to them. She was in her late twenty's with black hair tied back in a ponytail. She pushed Hermione and Ron out of the way, and before Harry could stop her she began to force feed him. That made his two friends start laughing again.

Once she was done feeding Harry, she made him lie down, and said she was going to get a sleep potion. Once she was gone Harry said,

"I swear, sometimes I wonder if this really is a hospital and not a maximum security prison." Ron was confused, and Hermione started giggling now thinking about Harry, as an oversized baby, rolling around on the ground, being force fed, in a maximum security prison.

"What?"

"A muggle prison which is heavily guarded," Hermione told him through giggles.

"Oh," he said and started laughing again, apparently thinking about the same thing as Hermione.

"What's the matter with you guys?" Harry asked.

"Nothing," Hermione said, calming down. He looked at her skeptically, but didn't say anything else.

When Alison came back she made them leave, and gave Harry the potion. Soon he was fast asleep.

* * *

There were no curtains around Hermione and Harry's beds now, which allowed the three friends to talk to each other. Well it would have if Harry had been awake, but it at least allowed two of the friends to talk.

It was while they were discussing how glad they were that Harry was ok, and how much work they'd have to be doing soon that they heard the moaning. At first it was soft and quiet; they could barely hear it. Then it grew louder, but Hermione and Ron couldn't tell where it was coming from. Suddenly they heard the moan become words.

"No don't...don't go near it, it's not good, no, no stop! No!" They realized it was coming from Harry's bed. The witch and wizard jumped out of their own beds, and rushed towards Harry's. Now he was mumbling quietly. "It's my fault, all my fault, so stupid, all my fault." Then he suddenly started screaming. "NO DON'T! PLEASE DON'T DO IT, HE DOESN'T DESERVE IT! NO STOP!" he began shaking violently, and sweat appeared on his forehead. Hermione and Ron could hear footsteps hurrying towards their room. Harry burst out again. "NO, NO, NO IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! YOU STARTED IT ALL!" His friends exchanged worried looks. They didn't dare do anything. "No don't do it, it won't help. It ruins everything," Harry continued. Four medi-witches burst into the room at that moment, and stood there with their wands raised. Seeing there was no danger, they lowered them, and came to stand next to Hermione and Ron.

"What's going on?" Barbara asked.

"He began moaning and screaming in his sleep, and then sweating. We were afraid to do anything," Hermione explained.

"We're going to have to wake him and give him the dreamless sleep draught right after. Alison, go get it please," said Barbara and Alison left the room. Then Harry started it again.

"It's my fault, why did it happen? Stupid, stupid it's my fault. WHY DID SHE HAVE TO KILL HIM? WHY SI-" Suddenly he sat bolt upright, opening his eyes. Harry looked around.

"Harry?" Hermione asked timidly.

"What's going on?" he asked, his voice shaking, his face pale. Hermione looked at Ron.

"You started talking in your sleep, then screaming," Ron said.

"What did I say?"

"Something about how it's your fault, then you seemed to be talking to someone, saying it'll ruin it all and not to do it. You were also telling someone not to go near something." Harry looked stricken.

"And the last thing you said was 'why did she have to kill him?' then something like 'why si'. It didn't really make any sense," Hermione added.

"Oh., Harry said. Then Barbara started speaking.

"We're going to give you a dreamless sleep draught; Alison's getting it. She'll be back soon." Harry nodded, and settled back in his bed.

Alison came back in a minute or two, and seeing Harry was awake, filled a cup with the liquid from the vial she was carrying. She handed him the potion and waited for him to drink. Before he could, Ron asked,

"What were you dreaming of Harry?"

"Oh, nothing really," he answered, too calmly for anyone to believe him, and drained the cup. Before it took effect, he thought 'I'm never going to let them know I still dream about my parents' and Sirius' death. Not ever.' Then he fell into an unconscious slumber.

* * *

The next morning found Hermione and Ron trying to figure out what Harry could have been dreaming about. Well, more like Ron constantly asking Hermione.

"Hermione," he began for the third time. "What do you think he was dreaming about?"

"Ron, I already told you, I don't know!" she exclaimed exasperatedly. "None of what he was saying really made sense. It was probably just a nightmare, nothing from real life."

"I guess you're right," Ron said, "but do you think we can ask him about it?"

"Ron, asking him about it won't help. Last night he didn't want to tell us, so why do you think this morning will be any better?"

"I know, I know, but still, isn't it worth a try?"

"No! It won't work, and I don't think Harry will want to relive it if it was as bad as it sounded."

"Yeah," said Ron in a defeated voice. "Maybe it wasn't so bad though."

"It was," said a quiet voice on his right. Ron jumped.

"Harry! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"I didn't, you're sitting next to my bed," Harry pointed out. Ron blushed a little.

"Oh, right. Anyway do you think you can tell us what it was about?" he asked trying to change the subject. Hermione glared at him.

"Ron-" she began but Harry interrupted her.

"No, it's ok."

"Are you sure Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure," he answered, and Hermione felt satisfied enough to lean closer, along with Ron, to listen to what Harry had to say. He didn't say anything however; he seemed to be in a trance.

"Harry?" Ron said, snapping his fingers in front of Harry's face. It didn't work, and Harry's eyes became clouded. Hermione grabbed his arm, and he turned to look at her. His expression shocked her and she dropped his arm. It was a look of pure hatred, like he wanted to harm her, and it made him look dangerous. A gasp from Ron told her he had seen it as well. Neither of them said anything, and Hermione quickly conjured a glass of water (she had her wand with her) and dumped it on Harry in a panic. The man's eyes unfogged immediately and he reached up weakly and touched his scar. In a moment he looked at them, and they could see the fear in his eyes.

* * *

Harry woke up to the sound of his friends arguing about what his dream had been, and whether or not they should ask him about it. He heard Ron say that maybe the nightmare wasn't as bad as they thought. Harry answered his friend.

"It was." Ron jumped.

"Harry! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"I didn't, you're sitting next to my bed" Harry said and he noticed Ron blush a little.

"Oh, right. Anyway do you think you can tell us what it was about?" Ron asked, obviously trying to change the subject. Hermione started to scold him, but Harry said it was ok and Ron and Hermione leaned closer.

He was about to start, when there was a white hot pain in his forehead. He couldn't touch it; he was too weak from what happened four weeks ago combined with the pain. He felt Hermione grab his arm, and he turned his eyes towards her. He hated her; he wanted to hurt her, to make her suffer. She let go of him quickly, but he still felt the undeniable hatred, the urge to kill. He glanced away, and felt something cold on him. Instantly the feeling vanished, and the pain went away though his scar was still throbbing slightly.

He found strength to touch it, and the throbbing slowly stopped. Harry was terrified; he had only felt that in his fifth year when Voldemort had possessed him. Could he be doing it again? Ron's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Harry? Are you ok?" he asked timidly. He sounded scared and Harry knew he was scared of him.

"I'm fine," he answered quietly.

"What happened Harry? You know, I know you do," Hermione said.

"It felt like in fifth year; as if Voldemort was possessing me. But there's no way he could be because he had no idea I'm here. A healer told me yesterday, before you guys came in." Ron and Hermione looked worried. "Let's pretend it didn't happen, at least not until I get my memory back or we're working again or something," Harry offered.

"I guess so," Hermione said. "But we'll go to Dumbledore if it happens again, agreed?"

"Agreed!" Both her friends answered.

"So Harry," Ron said. "You owe us a dream explanation." Harry grew a little paler, but Ron waved it aside, thinking it was just the after affects of what just happened.

"Ok, I was dreaming that Voldemort was here, at St. Mungo's. He was heading to our ward, killing everybody on the way. He finally got here, and some Death Eaters were with him. Ron had been going to the door to see what was going on (which was why I said don't go near it) and when they came in a Death Eater grabbed him and killed him. Then I woke up." They sat in silence. Harry had made it all up as he went along, and his friends knew that but they also knew that since he was lying about it, he didn't want to tell them.

"Oh," Ron said. Then Hermione said,

"Oh no, my apartment's going to be disgusting when I come back there was a lot of dishes in the sink when we left so there's going to be thousands of flies in there." Suddenly Ron groaned.

"I was supposed to move in to my apartment three weeks ago! They probably sold it to someone else now."

"You can just stay at my place then," Hermione said. "As for the flies, we can fill the apartment with spiders to get them all out," she teased. Harry laughed and Ron scowled.

"Then find yourself a different roommate! No way am I going into an apartment filled with spiders. I had more than enough of them to last me a lifetime in second year."

"I'm only teasing" Hermione told him. "Wait, what happened in second year?"

"Remember Aragog?" Harry asked her.

"Oh yeah, Aragog the harmless, gigantic spider."

Ron shuddered.

"Harry they're giving you your memory back today right?" he asked.

"Yeah I can't wait."

Ron was confused.

"What do you mean you can't wait? It's horrible."

"Well, I don't know what happened, and even if it's horrible I still want it back."

"I guess I know what you mean. Oh look! Barbara's coming with the potion." The medi-witch came over to them smiling and handed Harry the potion.

"Here you go, drink this and in a minute or two you'll remember everything." Harry drank, and his stomach felt awful. Then there were sharp pains in his head. It went on for a bit and suddenly it all stopped enabling Harry to remember the waterfall, the dementors, everything. Ron was right, it was horrible.

Once he had successfully remembered everything, they gave him a strength potion and he started being able to lift things, and walk a little. His first trip through the hallway was with Ron and Hermione, but on the second they told him they couldn't because they had to talk to Barbara and the healers. He sadly made his way through the hall, and feeling tired walked back to the room. When he got inside he was so surprised he almost fell over. The room was decorated in red and gold, which reminded Harry of the Gryffindor common room, and there were balloons everywhere. There was a table with food, and presents on his bed.

"Happy Birthday!" all the assembled people shouted. He smiled when he saw that the healers and medi-witches that took care of him and his two friends were there. He looked around and saw lots of other people there too. Ron and Hermione were there obviously, standing in the middle of the crowd, and next to them were a red-headed woman and a dark brown haired man. Harry recognized the woman to be Ginny Weasley, and he knew the man to be Neville Longbottom. Harry had seen them both when they came to visit him while Ron and Hermione were gone.

Fred and George were there, each grinning broadly, and Harry almost laughed out loud when he saw them taking turns to slip candies on the table, but he didn't want to blow their cover. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were at the party as well.

The last person Harry saw was a man with sandy colored hair, which was mostly grey. Harry smiled again when he realized it was Remus Lupin.

"How did you manage to do all this while I was out in the hall?" he asked Ron and Hermione. "It was basically a five minute walk!" his friends just smiled mysteriously.

"We have our ways, Harry, we have our ways." Hermione said, then started singing, with everyone else joining her right away. "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Harry, happy birthday to you!" Harry grinned. Suddenly Ron shouted,

"Enough with the singing, I'm starving!" and leapt towards the table as everyone laughed. Harry hobbled over to join Ron, and everyone else followed.

Even though it took place in a hospital, it was one of Harry's best birthdays. The cake was huge with twenty-five candles. Hermione had had to explain to almost everybody that there was one for good luck. After the cake was gone, Ron was the first person to eat the candies. His hair instantly turned all the colors of the rainbow. He didn't notice, so he grabbed more sweets, stuffing them into his mouth. His eyes then proceeded to become rainbow colors, then his nose and mouth and tongue, and finally his clothes and skin. By that time everyone was laughing hysterically, and he looked at them.

"What's so funny?" he demanded. Nobody answered him, so he reached out and grabbed a candy, and flung it at Harry who was on the floor laughing. (Everyone thought it was because it was so funny, but actually the strength potion had worn off) The chocolate hit him on his arm.

"Ron hello? I'm the handicapped one here, so it's not fair to throw chocolates at me." But Ron wasn't listening. When he had flung the candy, he had seen his hand, and now he rushed up to a mirror and looked at himself.

"Fred and George! Your stupid candies made me turn into a human rainbow!" he shouted, though he was trying hard not to laugh. It wasn't working though so he gave up.

Finally, everyone had calmed down and Harry had gotten some more strength potion. The party was uneventful for a while before Ginny and Remus decided to liven things up. They walked to the food table and each ate two candies. Everyone was watching them holding their breath, waiting to see what would happen. Nothing did for a while, but then suddenly Ginny and Remus were wearing tango outfits. Then they started to do the tango, but they were both failing miserably. Remus kept stepping on his partner's feet and they both were laughing uncontrollably, along with everyone else. Then Ginny took clam shells off the table, and tried to use them as Castanets. Instead she got her fingers stuck a couple of times, and they were red for a while afterwards.

Remus went over to the table after Ginny's clam disaster, and tried to pull the tablecloth out from under everything, without the dishes and food falling, but everything did end up falling onto the floor, and the dishes crashed.

He went over to Ginny, and they started dancing again, but this time they were tweeting and chirping like birds.

That went on for ten minutes, and they finally returned to normal.

"What were those?" Ginny asked Fred and George.

"Our newest invention. We call them Tweeting Tangos." They explained.

"But what about the other candy we ate?" Remus asked, panting.

"Oh, those were the same as Ron's which is why your hair is rainbow colored."

"Yippee!" Ron yelled and rushed forward. He grabbed Remus with one hand but couldn't get Ginny because he had a mug of butterbeer in his other. He looked at his hand for a moment, and then dropped the mug on the ground, where it crashed, and got hold of Ginny. He dragged his two captives over to the corner, where he proceeded to tell them how great rainbows were.

"I think Ron had too much butterbeer" Harry said.

"He started drinking when Ginny and Remus ate the candies, and we all know he drinks about a mug a minute." Hermione said. Everyone laughed, and Harry conjured up some coffee. He walked shakily over to Ron, and poured it down his throat. It was really strong coffee, so Ron got mostly sober again and shouted,

"Presents!" Harry followed his friend to his bed, where he gratefully lay down. He was handed present, after present. He got five updated quidditch books from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and a new photo album to move his pictures into (his old one was getting ripped) from Hagrid, who had sent it with Hedwig. Hermione gave him lots of pictures from Hogwarts and their adventures, as well as candy, and Ron got him a miniature figure of Midge Moland flying on his Firebolt. Harry laughed and went on to his next present from Fred and George. It was a Lightracer care kit, which was very expensive. The Lightracer was a special broom that needed special twig clippers, or polishers which was why it was so expensive.

"Fred, George, you really didn't have to. I mean this is incredibly expensive!" Harry exclaimed.

"No Harry, you bought us that apartment, you gave us the money to open our shop, and we really thought you deserved this."

"Wow. Thanks so much, you guys. It's amazing," Harry said when he opened the box. He had always meant to get one, but had never managed to get a hold of one. Even after four years of being out on the market, the broom and its care kit had been scarce, and hard to get a hold of.

"Where'd you get it?" Neville asked the twins.

"The quidditch shop in America just got them, and we went there a little while ago," they answered.

Soon Harry finished opening his presents, and after a bit more partying everyone left. The medi-witches helped Hermione, Ron, and Harry clean up and then left, leaving the friends to sleep.

* * *

After two weeks, Harry was able to walk normally again and they were all let out of the hospital (Hermione and Ron had insisted on staying with Harry incase he had any more nightmares or trances). Ron found out his apartment had been sold to someone else, and moved in with Hermione, paying half the rent and Harry came back to Hogwarts. Immediately Jesse had pounced on him, demanded an explanation, and dragged him off towards Surrey. After they had finished Harry's appearance ("Look Harry Potter's reappeared again!") they went back to the school where Harry spent the day explaining what happened to him and his friends, to Dumbledore and the teachers and playing quidditch with Hermione and Ron. Actually he was playing with Ron until Hermione said she wanted to learn how and they coached her, making her a chaser. She wasn't too bad either.

The day after that they began working again. After four hours it was noon and they went to the Great Hall for lunch. Of course, all the students hadn't come down yet, or else the three friends wouldn't have dared. After lunch they went back to the library where Hedwig found them and, after nipping Harry and hooting happily, presented the _Daily Prophet.  
_  
"It's late today." Harry commented and gave Hedwig lots of owl treats before she left.

"Hmm wonder why." Ron said putting down his book. Hermione kept on reading until the two men groaned. She looked at them quizzically and Harry thrust the paper to her. On the front page it said:

**Harry Potter has reappeared again!**_Many people saw him in Surrey, the town where he grew up with his muggle relatives. No one knows where he might be, since he was seen in four different places after each time he disappeared._

"Perfect," said Harry.

"What do you mean perfect?" Hermione asked.

"This is why I even went to those places, so nobody would know where I was, and they wouldn't think I was in Hogwarts."

"But what if they still do?" Ron inquired.

"They won't, because it's the most obvious place so they'll think I wouldn't go, and since they think that, they wouldn't try and look for me here so I can live here. Did that make sense?"

"Sorta," Ron answered and Harry grinned. Hermione had already busied herself in her book again.

After ten more minutes of reading, she threw it down.

"This is hopeless!" she exclaimed, causing Madam Pince to glare at her reprovingly. Hermione lowered her voice. "We're never going to be able to find anything. This is almost impossible."

"The key word in that sentence is almost, Hermione." Ron told her.

"Yeah it's one percent possible" she said crossly.

"Hermione, maybe you should take a break." Harry offered.

"No, no I'm ok. I'll just go find another book. He eyed her skeptically and went back to his reading.

Hermione finally came back with another book, read for five minutes, and put it down. She did the same with the next four books she picked out and after the last one she sighed.

"You're right Harry. I'll just go take a walk to clear my head, and then I'll come back and continue." Harry and Ron nodded and she left.

She walked through the halls, thinking about that day at St. Mungo's when Harry had gone into his trance. After that day it hadn't happened again, and he didn't have anymore nightmares. The young woman couldn't help remembering his eyes, as he looked at her. She shuddered and was knocked off her train of thought when she heard a voice.

"Be careful, you're about to walk right into me!" Hermione looked up and saw that she was standing in front of the entrance to the Gryffindor tower, with the fat lady glaring at her.

"Sorry," she mumbled. Dumbledore had told Hermione, Ron, and Harry the password to all the common rooms, so Hermione decided to go in and look around.

"Fairy dust," she said, and the portrait swung open.

The common room was still the same, and the only difference was the amount of furniture. There were more armchairs and sofas than before and the woman decided there must be more students now. She was about to go look around the dormitories, when she heard people coming down the stairs. Hermione quickly hurried out, and ran back to the library.

When she got back she took the books she had been reading earlier, and put them back on the shelves they belonged in. Then as she was searching for another one, she saw Ron slam a book shut savagely and say,

"All this book has is things about you, Harry. About how you survived the curse and no one else did, and about your parents dying along with every encounter you've had with Voldemort. Well besides the last one." Hermione saw Harry wince slightly at the mention of his parents but he nodded and went back to reading. The young woman stood rooted to the spot. His parents' deaths. It seemed important to her somehow, like they had an important part to play in this case.

It all clicked in her mind when Harry suddenly started screaming in agony, clutching his scar. He fell out of his chair, and Ron rushed up to him. Hermione just stood watching as realization dawned on her. She came out of her trance and ran to Harry and Ron. Madam Pince was already there, and since the library was pretty close to the Great Hall teachers and students flew into the room, after hearing Harry's cries.

Harry felt a liquid on his hand and took it away from his scar to see it had blood on it. Suddenly he could barely see anymore, as the blood flowed into his eyes and pain blinded him. He knew everyone was watching him worriedly, waiting for some hint as to what was happening. The man just started holding on to his head again, and after a while the pain was going away a little bit, and the blood stopped flowing.

Harry wiped the blood out of his eyes, and saw students and teachers, standing above him, with his friends kneeling on the floor beside him. Then he finally managed to speak.

"He's angry," he whispered. Everyone leaned in closer, because they had barely heard him. "He's angry," Harry repeated. There wasn't anybody there that didn't realize who he meant, and the students were beginning to panic and get scared. Harry continued. "He's angrier than ever before."

"Why?" asked Dumbledore sternly; the usual twinkle was gone from his eyes as he eyed the young man with sadness and pity. Pity that he had to go through all this.

"Because," Harry choked out. "Because we survived."


	8. The spell

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter J.k.Rowling does

"…"speech

'…'thought

**I forgot to say this earlier I think, but this was written way before HBP. It was written almost two years ago.

* * *

**

The students stared at Harry for a bit, before the whispering began.

"What's he talking about?" a girl named Amanda Bradley asked her friend.

"I have no idea," was the answer.

"Who survived and what?" a boy asked one of the prefects.

"I'm not sure. Probably, Harry and his friends survived something and that made You-Know-Who angry." The questions were being repeated by people over and over, seeking an answer before Dumbledore put up a hand to silence them. When all was quiet, he began speaking.

"Surely that wouldn't make so mad as to do this to you. It's never been so bad; there must be something else." Harry was about to answer, when his scar began burning again. Only a little at first, but then it got worse. Blood began trickling between his fingers, and down his face. He roared with pain. Everyone gasped and stepped back, as they watched the Boy-who-lived sit up, still clutching his head. His breath started coming in short little gasps as he struggled against the pain. Then he fell back again, and passed out.

* * *

"HE'S ALIVE! How is that possible? There's no way they could have fought off so many dementors!" 

"M-my Lord, we don't know how he did it either, but it happened," said Lucius Malfoy, trembling.

"And where are they now?"

"Who, My Lord?"

"The dementors, you idiot!" Voldemort roared, throwing down the _Daily Prophet_. Lucius shrunk back; he knew he would be punished now.

"They h-have l-left-" he broke off, not able to continue. He wasn't usually like this, but Voldemort had never been so angry; two plans ruined in one go!

"Well? Where are they?"

"They have l-left you, Milord. They've gone back to Azkaban."

"WHAT?" Voldemort was furious. Potter had escaped them, and they went back to Azkaban! Nothing was going as planned, and the idiots he called deatheaters were failing everything.

"I'm sorry, My Lord, they decided to leave."

"You worthless fool! How could you let them get away? We needed them!"

"W-we c-c-couldn't stop them. T-they killed Jenkins i-in our attempts." Lucius was terrified. He knew this was ruining everything his master had planned, and him telling the Dark Lord all of it meant terrible pain for him.

"Jenkins?" Lucius nodded. "He was worthless anyway," Voldemort said loud enough for Lucius to hear. To himself he said, "This is ruining everything. Ugh that stupid prophecy is ruining my life and chances of taking over everything." He started talking to his servant again. "Lucius I hope you understand that the only reason I haven't killed you, is because of your connections. Otherwise you'd be long gone by now." Lucius nodded again.

"Yes My Lord." Voldemort looked into the fire, thinking. The people he sent for the veil should be back by now; in fact Lucius had been one of them.

"There is still one more way to kill Potter without battling him directly," he muttered. "Lucius, bring me the veil." He picked up his glass of water and waited. The other man gulped. He knew he was going to get it this time; his master had never been angrier before and this wasn't going to help. Bracing himself for the inevitable, he spoke.

"We could not get it, sir. It was gone." Voldemort's pale face turned red, and his eyes seemed to glow.

"YOU IMBECILES!" He threw the glass to the wall where it shattered into a million pieces. Turning around, he pointed his wand at Lucius who was shaking, waiting for the one word that would cause him so much pain. He didn't have to wait long. "_CRUCIO_!"

* * *

Harry woke up with the word ringing in his head, just as he was about to be levitated to the hospital wing. Blood was flowing freely from his scar, and his hand had smeared it on his forehead. He sat up panting, trying to focus his eyes. Soon he could see clearly. 

"Harry? Harry!" Hermione was yelling at him. "What happened?" He turned his head to look at her. She looked worried and her brows were furrowed in confusion. The man glanced around and saw the whole school standing in front of him, looking scared and panicky. Dumbledore knelt down beside him.

"Harry what happened? Do you know what Voldemort is so angry about?" many people gasped or shuddered at the mention of Voldemort's name, but the old man paid no attention.

"Yes, I just saw it. He was angrier than ever before because we managed to get away from the dementors, and because the dementors left to go back to Azkaban."

"What?" Dumbledore looked taken aback. "They've left him?"

"Yes. Then he said that there is another way to kill me without battling me directly, and he told Lucius Malfoy to bring him the veil which he had sent a bunch of deatheaters to get earlier. Malfoy told him the veil had been moved, so they couldn't get it and Voldemort did the crucatius curse on him. Apparently all of his plans have been ruined by the dementors leaving and not finding the veil. And there's me being alive, of course." Everyone looked shocked by this, except for Dumbledore who was always good at hiding what he was feeling. Actually, Hermione looked like the best thing in the world happened, which didn't make any sense to anybody considering the situation, but they didn't dwell on it.

"I see," the headmaster murmured. Then he stood up, and turned to face the terrified students. He ushered them out into the hall, and closed the door to the library. That didn't stop the people left inside from hearing what was going on out in the hall though. They heard Dumbledore perform the memory charm on the students, and told them to go to their dormitories and not go out again for the rest of the day, and until breakfast at 8:00 the next morning. The students cheered (since there would obviously be no classes that day) and went to their respective dormitories.

After the sound of footsteps died down, he reentered the library, once again shutting the door behind him. By that time all the teachers had taken seats at the tables, and Madam Pomfrey had conjured up some bandages and water and was in the process of wrapping up Harry's head, and cleaning off the blood from his face. Ron and Hermione were still sitting on the floor next to their friend.

"I hope you all realize," Dumbledore began gravely, "that we have a very serious problem on our hands." He paused before continuing. "Voldemort will stop at nothing to get the veil, which can be used to kill many more people than Harry. He was probably planning on luring Harry there with a vision, like in fifth year." Harry winced remembering that time. "But now that Harry knows about that plan, it won't work obviously. Still, there are ways he can get Harry there, and the veil can be used for more than just getting rid of Harry." He stopped as if remembering something. "No, he wouldn't be able to lure you there by means of a vision will he Harry? You told me he stopped possessing you when you left Hogwarts and you knew that he tried but wasn't able to." Harry looked uncomfortable, and Hermione shot him a frightened look.

"Sir," Harry said, removing his hand from his constantly throbbing head at Madam Pomfrey's orders. "Back at the hospital, the day after I woke up, I was about to tell Ron and Hermione something when I felt my scar burning. When I looked at Hermione," he stopped abruptly looking at her. She looked at him expectantly, and Ron, who had remained silent the whole time, did the same. He still hadn't told them what he felt that day.

"Yes?" McGonagall prompted. "Go on, Harry." Dumbledore looked like he knew what Harry was going to say, but he didn't make a sound. Madam Pomfrey had stepped away from him by then, and was waiting for what he would say along with the other teachers. She noticed him clutching his scar again, and tsk tsked disapprovingly but didn't say anything.

"When I looked at Hermione, I felt hatred. Like I wanted to hurt her terribly, and make her suffer." Hermione gasped, and Ron looked shocked. Harry had a sad expression on his face. He looked up at Dumbledore, who was still standing, but he didn't say anything. The young man knew he wanted to hear more. "It felt like in fifth year, when I wanted to-" Harry took a moment to steady himself then continued. "When I wanted to k-kill you, Professor, as if you were the only thing standing in my way, keeping me from doing something. At St. Mungo's it felt as if Hermione's d-death would cause my enemy the most pain, and to me that's the best thing that could happen aside from their death." Hermione started crying quietly and Harry felt terrible. Ron was looking at his best friend with an unreadable expression on his face, while patting Hermione on the back. Dumbledore nodded in understanding.

"So he can posses you again." Noticing the looks on Harry and Ron's faces, he said "I hope you understand it isn't your fault. You were still weak and vulnerable which is why he was able to do it, and you couldn't fight back." Ron's expression softened somewhat, but Harry still felt bad. He knew it wasn't his fault, but he still didn't feel good about it. Hermione had stopped crying by then and was looking at her friends.

"I'm sorry Hermione," Harry said quietly.

"It's not your fault, it's just shocking." Then she gasped in horror. "Harry! Your hand and bandages are all red!" Indeed, Harry could fell wet liquid, which he figured must be blood, against his hand again and lowered it. As soon as he did though, his head started hurting more and he quickly pressed it back against his bleeding forehead. Madam Pomfrey rushed forward again, and performed a charm that would temporarily stop the bleeding, so she could change the bandage. This had to be done twice more, before the blood stopped flowing enough for the bandages to stay white.

"He's not as angry anymore," Harry informed them when Madam Pomfrey changed the wrappings for the last time. They all nodded looking relieved.

"That's good," Ron said. "But he doesn't seem…happy, does he?" Harry was thinking hard. He really couldn't tell if Voldemort was happy or not; in fact he couldn't feel any emotion from the other man at all.

"He's not happy, or at least not incredibly happy, I would feel it, but he's not very angry anymore either. I don't know what he's feeling because I can't fell anything from him, and my scar has even stopped hurting."

"So he seems normal now?" Dumbledore asked gently.

"I suppose so. I'll let you know if I feel anything else," Harry said. The old man sighed.

"All right Harry. You need some rest. Poppy, take him to the hospital wing and give him some dreamless sleep potion." The Boy-Who-Lived seemed to be taking a lot of those lately.

"No not the hospital wing. Professor Dumbledore, you have no idea how sick I am of hospitals," Harry pleaded. Dumbledore chuckled

"All right, you have been in a hospital for almost two months now. Poppy, just bring some potion to his room, all right?" She nodded and left the room. "Now Harry, do you have space in you room for two extra beds? I'm sure Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley would rather stay here for the rest of the day than fly back home."

"Yeah, I have room. But professor do I have to take the potion right away? I mean it's only around 1:00 p.m still. Actually, do I have to take it at all? If I don't I might be able to see what Voldemort is doing or plotting," Harry said hopefully. He really didn't want to have a dreamless sleep and the potion was revolting.

"Harry, you know how those affect you," Dumbledore said sternly.

"Yes, I do know, but it could really help."

"All right, but if you have a dream about him, then right after take the potion."

"Ok, ok."

"Good," the headmaster said. "I should be going now. I need to tell the house elves to bring dinner up to the common rooms tonight." With that he left. All the teachers followed suit, but Professor McGonagall stopped at the doors.

"Since all the students are confined to their common rooms, you can go anywhere in the castle, but do be careful because there are a lot of students who like sneaking out." They nodded and she went out the doors, closing them quietly behind her.

As soon as her footsteps died away, Hermione turned to her friends with an excited expression. She sat down in the seat Professor Sprout had recently vacated and gestured for Ron and Harry to take the seats next to her. They looked at her with confused expressions, but sat down. Once they were seated Ron asked,

"Hermione what's going on? Harry and I were going to go out for a game of Quidditch. You wanna come?"

"No, Ron, I have something important to tell you both."

"Ok," Ron said uncertainly. Harry just looked at her expectantly.

"I figured it out," Hermione said quietly.

"The defense?" Harry asked.

"Hermione that's impossible!" Ron said before she could answer. "You were going on about how useless all the books were, then you went out for a walk, and when you came back you just started looking for another book. Then the thing with Harry's scar happened; you had no time." The woman glared at him.

"I didn't figure out the actual spell, but I figured out what we'll build it off of. In other words, I found out how we're going to make the spell." Harry looked eager but skeptical at the same time.

"Ron's right Hermione, I don't think there was really any time for you to figure this out," he said.

"Well I didn't figure it out from a book. Not necessarily at least. Remember when Ron said that the book he was looking at had nothing except stuff about you, and how your parents died?" The black haired man nodded. "Well your parents' deaths sort of stuck in my mind, as if they played an important part in this. Then when you felt Voldemort get angry, I figured it out." The two men looked confused but didn't say anything. "Lily sacrificed herself for Harry, and that's what stopped the curse from working on him, love; the most powerful kind of magic there is." At this point Ron interrupted her.

"You're saying we need someone to sacrifice themselves for someone else, so that eventually every person in the world has a love sacrifice protecting them?" he scoffed. Hermione looked at him darkly.

"Let me finish," she said crossly. "Of course we can't do that. Anyway as I was saying before _someone_ interrupted me, love is the most powerful magic. And, as I said, everything began to make more or less sense to me, when Harry started clutching his scar. His mother's love protected him, so the curse just left him with this scar." Harry still looked blank but for once, Ron was starting to look like he understood before his friend.

"So you're saying…we need a spell that will protect people with love?" he asked. Hermione beamed.

"Yup," she said.

"How are we supposed to do that, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Well this is what we have to build off of, and I actually do have a part of the spell figured out." Ron gaped.

"How are you so quick at this? It took you, like, ten minutes to figure it all out." he said, astonished. Harry narrowed his eyes.

"A minute ago you told us you only knew what we had to build off of."

"I know, it slipped my mind, because I was afraid I would forget about what I found out."

"Oh, go on then," Harry said.

"Ok, well when Harry mentioned the dementors, I remembered the spell to get rid of them is '_Expecto Patronum_.' I have a suspicion as to what it means but…hold on." She raced off to the languages part of the library, leaving two confused men behind.

She came back with a big English/Latin dictionary. She plopped it on the table, and began to leaf through it. She found one of the words she was apparently looking for and her eyes widened in excitement. Then she found the second word and murmured,

"Just as I thought." Suddenly she slammed the book shut and said "Ok, '_Expecto Patronum_' means something along the lines of 'expecting a guardian.' So we need to find the Latin word for love, and add 'Patronum' onto the end of it and we'll have our spell."

"Wow, I never thought we'd get it so fast! Hermione you're brilliant!" Ron exclaimed making her blush. Harry was grinning. The red head suddenly leaped for the dictionary, and began tearing through it. Finally he let out a triumphant yell. "Found it!" Usually Madam Pince would come rushing over immediately to scold him, but she wasn't here at the moment.

"Well?" Harry asked eagerly "What is it?" Ron had no time to reply, however, because suddenly the door opened and the headmaster appeared. His hair and beard were disheveled, and it looked like he had been running. He was panting, and his faced held a worried and frantic look. He was holding his wand in his hand, in an attacking position.

"Get out to the halls! We need as many people as we can get right now, hurry!" He hurried away. The three adults were left in the library, looking confused.

"What was that?" Ron asked as they were getting out their wands, and cautiously going to the door of the room.

"Dunno, I've never seen Dumbledore act like tha-" Harry was cut off by Hermione.

"Shh!" she hissed. "Do you guys hear that?" They all listened intently, and Harry and Ron could make out some sort of sound. Suddenly Harry realized what it was.

"People are screaming! We've got to go." They all ran out the library entrance, and came across Professor McGonagall, who was breathing heavily.

"Professor!" Ron stopped her. "What's going on?"

"Death Eaters in the school; they went to the Ravenclaw common room already. There are already two students dead. The others managed to run away in time." Hermione was stricken, Ron was shocked, and Harry was torn between sadness about the students and panic.

"This is bad," he said worriedly. "Let's go guys!"

"Harry," Hermione said. "Wait. Professor where are the students?"

"They all ran into various places in the castle. Most of the Slytherins are in the Great Hall, I think."

"I wonder why," said Ron sarcastically and Hermione glared at him.

"We'll go try to help immediately," Hermione told her former teacher.

"Be careful," Professor McGonagall said hurriedly. "They don't even know Harry is here. Voldemort has, apparently, begun to think he can overthrow Dumbledore. I must go now. Good luck!" and she ran off down the opposite corridor. The three friends watched her retreating form until she disappeared around the corner. Then Hermione turned to Ron.

"Ron, what's the spell?" she asked. He sucked in his breath and looked at her silently. Finally he answered.

"_Amoris Patronum."

* * *

_

**I'm so so so so so so so sorry for how long it's taken me to update! At first I was too lazy to update and wanted to update a lot at the same time (for a lot of different stories) and was planning to start but then my computer got completely swarmed with viruses! My dad's finally fixed it but still I've been totally swamped with tests in school and projects and homework and sports and everything. But just so everyone knows, I haven't abandoned any of my stories! I promise! Now that school's started, it's just going to take me longer to update. Although, if I had someone to change The Marauders and Lily read Harry Potter book 3 into story format for me, it would go quicker…if you're interested, let me know. **


	9. The fight

Disclaimer: I don't own it

**I just realized I had the wrong chapter up before. The chapter that was up as chapter 9 was actually chapter 10. So that's going to be the next chapter

* * *

**

"Ok the spell is '_Amoris Patronum_'," Hermione said, and despite the situation she felt incredibly pleased. They had done it,"Go around, telling students to try that when they are attacked with _Avada Kedavra_, but to duck as soon as they say the spell. And tell them to find a group of people from any house but Slytherin,"

"Why should they duck?"

"Ron, we're not sure if this will work; we've never had a chance to test it. Now let's go, we're wasting time," Seeing Ron's mouth open to form a question she added "Yes, you even have to help the Slytherins that look like they're in danger. They're kids, maybe they'll be evil or something sometime, but we still have to protect them,"

"Don't go into the Great Hall, we have no idea how many Death Eaters there are, and they'll most likely gather there," Harry told them.

"Right!" Ron took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment "L-let's go then,"

"Ron, don't worry, it'll be all right," Harry tried to comfort his friend.

"Yeah I know. It's all gonna be fine," Ron said, trying to reassure himself.

"Harry, you be careful especially. They don't know you're here," cautioned Hermione.

"Ok," Harry was beginning to feel nervous as well "I'll go that way." He pointed at a random hallway, and quickly ran away.

"I'll see you, Ron. Good luck," Hermione said, and hurried down another hall. Ron took another deep breath, and went down the corridor to the right of Hermione's.

It was brightly lit, with torches blazing every three feet. Ron kept thinking he heard someone behind him, but when he turned around it was usually just a cat, or sometimes he just imagined it. He really wished he had a magical eye like Mad-Eye Moody's because then he would be able to see out the back of his head.

Suddenly Ron tripped over something on the ground, and fell to the floor. Cursing the thing, he stood up and looked at it. His stomach lurched; on the ground was the body of Amanda Bradley. No, wait her chest was moving up and down. Ron felt a wave of relief sweep over him.

He knelt down next to the girl, and pointed his wand at her.

"_Ennervate,_" he whispered. She woke up right away and looked at him fearfully.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Don't worry, I'm here to help. Listen, go find somewhere too hide. If someone attacks you with _Avada Kedavra_," she gasped, "Say '_Amoris Patronum_' then duck. It might work as a defense but we're not sure, which is why you have to duck. It would also help if you found a group of people from any house but Slytherin. Understand?"

"_Amoris Patronum_. Got it."

"Good, now get out of here." He helped her up, and pushed her down the hall. She ran off thanking him, on her way.

Ron smiled, and went on his way. He felt great, almost as if he saved someone's life. Which in fact, he might have.

A little ways down the hall, it turned to the left. There was a right turn after the left, and Ron was about to turn when he saw someone running towards him. He held his wand out in the attack position, but there was no need. It was Harry.

"Harry, what are you doing here?" Harry stopped.

"This is where my path went. I was just running away from a Death Eater whose wand was broken. He was trying to stab me with it." Ron laughed weakly.

"Well, we might as well continue together, since my path led me here and the only place we can both go is through here." He pointed at the door to his right.

"Ok, let's go." They opened the door slowly and quietly, and seeing nobody was on the other side, started down the hallway behind it.

* * *

Hermione was hurrying down the hall she'd chosen. It was badly lit; most of the torches had been put out, and for some reason it was very dark outside. Then she suddenly saw a body of a Death Eater. He was sitting against the wall; his hood had fallen, revealing his head which was leaning to one side, and his wand on the floor beside him. Hermione gasped in horror, and had half a mind to turn back and go another way, but she knew there were bound to be people at the end of the hall. Unless, of course, this was Dumbledore's work. She gulped down her fear and walked past the body.

Further away, she could vaguely see someone standing at the fork, where there were two hallways going different directions away from this one. The woman could tell that it was either an adult or a student in their sixth or seventh year. She knew they hadn't seen her yet because they were looking from left to right, apparently trying to decide which way to go. The former Gryffindor held up her wand, and inched forward cautiously. She was trying to remain as quiet as possible, but hit her toe on another wand that was on the floor. It rolled away noisily, and she froze looking at the person turn around. They had their wand lit, and holding it up to their face, the person was trying to figure out who was behind him. Hermione sighed in relief, noticing it was a student, in Hufflepuff robes.

"Don't worry," she said walking forward, and lowering her wand, "I'm a good guy," The boy, lowered his wand as well, but kept it lit. After he was sure Hermione wasn't a Death Eater, he relaxed.

"I thought you were a Death Eater," he said.

"No, I'm not, but there are plenty crawling around, so you better hide yourself."

"I can fight," he said, looking offended. Before Hermione had a chance to reply, however, they heard a cold, drawling voice.

"Maybe we could test that out for you?" Hermione realized that it was Draco Malfoy, a person who she had wished never to see again, after graduation. She had always wondered what he would do, and if he would become a Death Eater like everyone thought he would. Harry's experience two years ago answered that question.

The Hufflepuff's scream broke her thoughts, and she saw Draco point his wand at him. Without even thinking about what she was doing, Hermione jumped in front of the boy right when Draco shouted the killing curse. Hermione pointed her wand in front of her, and shouted,

"_Amoris Patronum_!" and pushed the boy (who was still screaming) down, hurtling herself down after him. She hadn't wanted Draco to hear the spell, but she couldn't help it.

The affect of her defense spell was amazing. They all watched mesmerized as a red shield formed in front of where the two people had just been. The green jet of light hit the red, and instantly rebounded, becoming blue in the process. The now blue light, hit Draco Malfoy squarely in the chest, and he fell down with a scream. The Hufflepuff's eyes were now as wide as saucers. He had stopped screaming, and instead was sitting up slowly.

Hermione got to her feet not taking her eyes off the man's body. With her wand pointing at him, she let her feet carry her over. She was horrified, thinking she had killed him with her defense shield. But when she knelt down and took his wrist, she felt there was still a pulse, even though he was rigid. Backing away in case he woke up, she went to the student and helped him up.

"W-what happened? Did- is he dead?" he asked.

"No, I don't know what happened. I have to figure this out," she said looking at the body of her school rival. Turning her attention back to the person next to her and said, "Listen, you have to go find a place to hide until this is all cleared up. If someone attacks you with the killing curse, say '_Amoris Patronum_'. If all goes well, the same thing will happen as here, but just in case duck down,"

"Ok."

"What's your name?"

"I'm Anthony Fontel. I'm in sixth year."

"Ok, I think you're experienced enough with magic then, to be able to do this spell. Still, it might be harder for you, so it would be better if you went with any group of students from any house but Slytherin on your way. Just be careful, ok?" he nodded.

"Where can I go?"

"Hagrid's pumpkin patch," someone whispered from the hallway on the left of the fork. Hermione and Anthony jumped and looked around. Two men were standing there, walking over to them while looking at the body on the ground. When they came into the light of the torch hanging at the end of their path, Hermione recognized them.

"Harry! Ron!" she rushed over to them. "Are you ok Harry?" she asked, noticing Harry leaning on Ron for support. "And why would he go to hide in a pumpkin patch?"

"Yeah, some Death Eater got me on my leg. Dunno what spell it was though. Because, it's almost Halloween so Hagrid has grown his pumpkins, to a huge size. Anthony will be concealed nicely there, and nobody in their right mind would hide in a pumpkin patch right? So nobody in their right mind would look for someone in a pumpkin patch unless they were playing hide-and-seek. It's the perfect place to hide. I've already sent a couple of students there, so Anthony you can try and get only one or two more people, otherwise there'll be too many. Ok?" the boy nodded. "So, um, you can go now," Harry added. The boy grumbled but held his wand high and ran towards an exit. Harry turned back to his friends. "What happened here?" he asked Hermione.

"It was the spell wasn't it Hermione?" Ron asked excitedly.

"Yeah, when I performed it, and ducked out of the way I could watch it from the side. The curse hit the defense, which was red by the way, and bounced off, turning blue. Then it hit him," she pointed her thumb at Draco, "and he fell back."

"That's what happened to us. We came across a Death Eater, on our way to find you. He said something, and a large cut appeared on Harry's leg." Harry pulled up his robes reluctantly and Hermione gasped. Gash was more the word for what was there. It was long and deep, and blood was flowing down to his shoes.

"Just isn't my day, huh?" Harry said.

"Yeah," Hermione said distractedly. "Anyway then what happened?"

"Well, since Harry was already on the ground, I said the spell right when the Death Eater said _Avada Kedavra_. Then Harry pulled me down, and we watched the spell. It did exactly what you said yours did."

"I wonder why the curse turns into something that knocks someone unconscious, instead of killing them," Hermione mused.

"I know what it turns into," Ron said.

"Really? What?"

"The stunning spell," he answered. Hermione rolled her eyes exasperatedly.

"How can that possibly be, Ron?" Ron looked at her with an amused expression on his face.

"You're displaying a rare case of stupidity, Hermione," he said. Harry sniggered, and Hermione blushed. Ron sighed "Remember what color the stunning spell is?"

"Um… no," Hermione said. Her friends looked at her, shocked. She shrugged "I have quite a lot on my mind right now, you know." They nodded quickly, and Harry started explaining, before Ron could.

"Blue! When the worst curse in the world hits what's basically the best spell in the world (since it stops the worst one) they must reduce each other's power,"

"Yeah, that's what I was going to say," Ron said.

"Oh, well do you know the rest?" Ron nodded "That's good because I was just about to say how that's all I got," Harry said. His friends grinned, and Ron explained to them what must have happened.

"The defensive spell becomes less safe, and the killing curse becomes less dangerous. By having the defense spell work on somebody alone, they would probably stumble backward or something. And if the killing curse is alone, we all know what happens. But when they're together, the defense shield lets the curse work, partially, and the curse let's the shield work partially. So when they hit a person, working _together_ they just stun them." Harry and Hermione looked at him, in awe.

"No wonder Fudge put you on this assignment for logic. That was awesome! It would have taken me like all day to figure that out!" Harry said, making Ron blush. Suddenly Hermione remembered where they were.

"Yes, Ron that was amazing, but we have to go find the other adults, and see what's going on in the Great Hall."

"Yeah, you're right," Ron muttered, and him and Hermione went to the hallway on the right hand side of the fork (Harry and Ron hadn't seen it on their way to Hermione). Harry quickly cast a pain killer charm on his leg, and hurried to catch up with his friends. They waited for him, and then they all set off towards the direction of where they hoped the Great Hall would be (they couldn't tell in the semi-darkness where they were and where they were going) leaving Draco all alone in his unconscious state.

They reached the Great Hall, in no more than five minutes. The first thing they heard was people screaming. There were numerous shouts of, "Stupefy!" and, "Petrifacus Totalus."

"Don't want to hurt the Slytherins much, do they?" Ron growled. Hermione glared at him and told him to be quiet, but as they crept over to the doors, which were open a tiny bit, and looked in, they saw he was right. Almost the whole Slytherin house was in the Hall, and there must have been 100 Death Eaters in there as well "How many Death Eaters does this guy own? I mean, there are about 100 in here, not to mention the one's crawling around the castle!" Hermione looked at him sternly before, peering back through the crack and saying,

"People aren't things, Ron, so nobody can 'own them'." Ron just rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, Hermione."

"Guys, shut up and listen. Those two are talking about something," Harry hissed pointing at the two Death Eaters closes to them. One was very small, and the other was normal in height.

"Nobody's found anyone of importance, Blortas," the taller one was saying irritably. "Least of all Dumbledore,"

"Well," the one called Blortas said, "where could he have run off to? He wouldn't just abandon the school while we were invading it. He's got to be somewhere,"

"Why don't you go and find him then," Blortas' companion said. He was obviously the more important one of them, since Blortas began trembling.

"No, you know I didn't mean that. It's just the old man had to be in this castle. The grounds are being patrolled, like you ordered, and he hasn't been seen on them. And everyone knows it's not possible to Apparate or Dissaparate in Hogwarts,"

"Well, he's obviously somewhere, so we will find him. Then we can get out of this place. Leave the students, to learn about their most…intriguing subjects. Defense Against the Dark Arts," he sniffed, "Divination." This time he snorted "Divination, what a worthless subject."

"We just _leave_ the students, Lucius?"

"Lucius!" Harry whispered "Draco's father,"

"Well, besides those who get in our way, of course," Lucius said in a disgustingly delighted voice.

"Of course, but what are we going to do if we don't find Dumbledore?"

"Would you like to find out?" Something in his voice made Ron, Harry, and Hermione understand that it'd be terrible for them.

"N-no I was j-just-"

"I didn't think so." The two men turned, so the three people looking through the crack in the doors could see their faces since they weren't wearing their masks. Blortas had a thin, bony face. He had bags under his eyes, and a hideous scar running from his chin, up to his right cheek and across his nose onto his other cheek. His eyes looked yellow, and he looked exactly like the type of person you'd find down Knockturn Alley. Lucius looked the same as always, his silver-blond hair, was poking out of his hood in some places. At the moment his lip was curled in disgust. "Go send more people to find Dumbledore,"

"Of course, sir," Blortas said. When he spoke the trio at the door could see his yellow crooked teeth. He hurried off to find more Death Eaters, and soon a group of ten was heading towards the doors of the Great Hall. Harry, Hermione, and Ron barely had time to hide before they came out.

The Death Eaters turned a corner, and the three aurors decided to follow them. They didn't get very far though, because as soon as they were right in front of the turn, they heard voices. Soon they began yelling.

"Get out of the way, boy!"

"No! You won't get Professor Dumbledore, and you're not going to take the school!"

"Yeah, go back to the hole you crawled out of," another voice said. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other, horrified, and ran around the corner. There were the ten Death Eaters, and standing in front of them were about fifteen students. Most were from Ravenclaw, and they were at the front of the group.

"They must be mad about the two students that were killed from their house," Hermione whispered. The other two nodded in agreement. The two parties kept screaming.

"Move out of the way before we have to kill you!"

"No! You killed my best friend; we're not letting you go. You're going to the dementors," one of the Ravenclaw girls snarled. Everyone's voices were getting louder and louder, until the Great Hall doors crashed open and Lucius Malfoy, who was obviously the leader tonight, came striding over with Blortas. There was a huge suit of armor right next to the trio, and they hid behind it.

"What's the hold up?" he shouted furiously "Kill them or get them out of the way somehow, we don't have all night, you know!" the Death Eaters nodded, and aimed their wands. All at once they shouted, "_Avada Kedavra_!" Everything seemed to go slow motion then. Hermione cringed, and Ron gulped. The leader of the students' group shouted, "NOW!" And all at once, they pointed their wands, and said something quietly, so nobody could hear. Of course, Hermione, Ron, and Harry knew what it was, since they'd invented it. A red wall formed in front of them, and the ten curses bounced off it, heading back to the people who cast them. On the way they turned blue, just like the other two times this defense had been used, and stunned the Death Eaters. Lucius stood there blinking. Then he muttered,

"Idiots can't even cast a proper _Avada Kedavra_ curse."

"But you saw what the kids did."

"There's no way those measly little brats could have found a defense for the curse. Grown up wizards couldn't even. It was a mistake."

"But sir-"

"Blortas, go curse the students." Blortas didn't have a chance of getting out of this, so he nodded meekly, and pulled out his wand.

"_Avada Kedavra,_" he said. A jolt of green light shot out of his wand, and the students formed their shield again. Since there were fifteen people putting it up against one curse, the force of the stunning spell was so powerful it sent the little man fifty feet away and slammed him into the wall. Lucius Malfoy grew pale and rushed back to the Great Hall. The students laughed saying things like, "Take that" and, "That's what you get you evil murderers," until they heard Lucius' voice. He had obviously used a _Sonorus_ charm to get this message all over the school.

"ALL DEATH EATERS BACK TO THE GREAT HALL NOW!"

That's when Hermione, Harry, and Ron stepped out from behind the suit of armor.

"Hey, he's the one who told me about this spell!" yelled one boy, pointing at Ron who smiled broadly.

"How did you know about it? I thought nobody knew how to stop the killing curse," one girl pointed out. Hermione smiled.

"Well, nobody knew about it because we only invented it today." 'It feels like ages ago though.' The kids' eyes widened.

"_You_ guys made it up? It's amazing!"

"Wow! That's so- is that Harry Potter?" the students had just noticed Harry.

"Yeah," he smiled wearily "That's me, Harry Potter. But we have a lot of stuff to do, people to find so if you could go find somewhere to hide, it'd be great. By the way, stick together because you put up and amazing shield." The kids beamed and ran off, waving.

"All right, let's go find Dumbledore, and the other teachers," Hermione said.

"Do you think we c-c-could just _Accio_ them or something?" Ron asked trying, unsuccessfully, to stifle a yawn. Hermione glared at him reprovingly, but also was starting to look tired.

"You know what could possibly happen, Ron. I mean they could get caught by Death Eaters on their way or something. But…Oh I am rather tired as well. Harry, what do you think?"

"No," he said simply, and started walking away. Ron got angry.

"No? What do you mean _no_?" he snapped. Harry stopped and turned around.

"I mean no, we can't just summon the professors."

"But in all the books I've read, it says it's perfectly fine to summon people to you," Hermione said irritably. She was actually very tired.

"That's because the authors haven't seen the things that can happen to people who are summoned somewhere."

"What do you mean by that?" Ron asked, his anger starting to ebb away. He didn't want to go running around in a castle full of homicidal maniacs, looking for a bunch of teachers, but he really didn't want to hurt any of the Professors either. He knew that Harry was one of the top aurors, and had seen a lot more than some.

"Well there were a couple of cases, when the person being summoned hit walls on their way. Sometimes, they even were flung through the walls. By that time the charm would be out of control, and wouldn't make the person who was being summoned move away from objects such as cold and hard stone walls, like it normally would. I know you're going to ask why they were flung into or through a wall before the charm got out of control. Well I'll tell you: it's because when humans are being summoned, they usually have no idea about what's happening. They struggle or try to stop it, and that makes the charm unable to avoid things. Since objects can't feel fear, they won't start struggling and preventing the charm from helping them out of danger on their trip. Now, it's all right to summon someone when there's nothing at all in between the place they are being summoned to, and where they're being summoned from, like across a field or something. Would you like to hear another story?"

"No, not really," said Ron shakily.

"Great, I'll tell you then."

"I said I didn't want to hear another one."

"Exactly; when someone says they don't want to hear another one, it means it's time to tell them another because that way it sticks in their head,"

"Fine," Ron sighed, "But shouldn't we be looking for the teachers?"

"No Ron this is much more important. And besides it gives you a chance to sit down, and I'm personally very interested," Hermione said, thrusting herself in a place near the wall where she could see if anyone was coming from either direction. Harry and Ron both sat down beside her with their wands out.

"Ok, well there was this one person, five years ago, that was being summoned by somebody. This also happened in 1354 and 1586 I think. Anyway, this one woman was being summoned by her boss. She had skipped work a bunch of times in a row or something, and he was wicked mad. So to get her there he summoned her. The problem was, she had no idea of what was happening to her, and she was absolutely terrified. She was in a Muggle park at the time, and when she felt the feeling you get when being summoned," Noticing their confused looks he said, "I'll show you later what it feels like." They nodded and he continued. "So she felt it and somehow managed to wrap her feet around something. That wasn't working well enough, and she grabbed onto something; I think the counter. But of course, you can't fight a summoning charm and her arms and legs…well," he looked a little sick.

"Harry, what happened?" Hermione asked, not sure if she wanted to know.

"It's kind of like she splinched herself, only much, much, more painful." Comprehension began to dawn on Hermione's face, but not entirely. Ron's face still had the same blank look.

"What?" he asked. Harry sighed.

"Fine, I'll say it exactly how it was, just so you can understand. Her arms and legs ripped off her body and she flew away." Hermione and Ron gasped at the same time. Ron turned from green to white, then back to a light shade of green.

"What happened?" he managed to choke out. Harry grimaced.

"The Muggles almost all fainted or threw up, but luckily there was a wizard in the store, and he modified everybody's memories, and brought the…er -remains, no don't worry she didn't die, to the Ministry. Of course, they took the witch to St. Mungo's and fixed her up right away. It took her two months to fully recover though. Her boss was fired, and sentenced to three years in Azkaban. He actually gladly accepted it, for the first time in Azkaban's history someone was happy to go there. He seemed really horrified and paid for all her hospital bills as well, without her suing him. Very strange guy, actually. Nobody wanted it going out in public about what happened, and forbade anyone from telling. They did update the books though; I'm surprised you haven't seen it Hermione, about how dangerous it can be to summon someone,"

"Last time I read those books was six years ago," she admitted.

"Hey Harry," Ron said taking his head out of the bucket Hermione had conjured for him. He looked slightly better "How did you know about it all in detail, if nobody was supposed to tell? I mean you're an auror not whoever deals with that stuff."

"Oh, well I was the…um, wizard in the store."

"Oh my God! That must have been horrible to see it!" Hermione exclaimed, but immediately became quiet remembering where they were.

"Imagine being the victim," Harry said darkly, and they all shuddered. Ron looked at his watch.

"We better search for the professors now."" They all jumped up, and ran down the hallway on their left.

They decided to head back to the library, where they had first seen Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall, so they could go the way Dumbledore did. To their surprise they heard voices coming from inside. They recognized Professor Flitwick's squeaky voice, and Hagrid's booming one.

"Hagrid, we need to search more. We can't give up on them," squeaked Flitwick.

"I don' wan' ter give up anymore than you do, but we can' waste anymore time. There'll probably be more an' the Death Eaters who were her firs' by the time we get out of here. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are probably jus' doin what the res' of us were doin. I don' think anyone had time to tell them abou' this meetin here."

"You're right, Hagrid" came Dumbledore's quiet voice "We can't waste anymore time." The trio decided it was time to go in, and pushed open the doors. Immediately five stunning spells were sent at them.

"It's 'em! I knew they'd ge' here," Hagrid yelled, smiling. Everyone else rolled their eyes.

"Well, we should wake them up then. _Ennervate!_" Dumbledore said, and the three young aurors sat up.

"Thanks for the welcome," Ron said sarcastically, dusting off his robes. Hagrid grinned sheepishly. He had dropped his wand (he had gotten a new one when his name had been cleared; it worked better than the pink umbrella and he loved it) on the floor, and was now picking it up.

"We need to be on our guard," Professor McGonagall said "We didn't know if you were Death Eaters or not. After all they have searched this library five times."

Now that she mentioned it, Harry and his friends noticed all the books on the floor, and the tables overturned. Even the shelves were knocked over, as if Voldemort's servants thought the teachers would be hiding underneath them.

Once they were seated, the trio was asked all sorts of questions.

"Did you meet any students?" Madam Hooch asked.

"Yes, we all did before and after we started walking around together."

"What did you tell them?"

"I told a couple to hide in Hagrid's pumpkin patch." Hagrid beamed. "But I couldn't tell everyone to hide there, so we told everyone the defense spell. Mostly the kids I sent to the pumpkins were younger, but there were some older kids there too. I didn't tell them, but we figured they could protect the younger kids there. A lot of the students were determined to fight, but we told them to find a hiding place and a group of their friends, or people from Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff, so the spell would work better. We saw an amazing display: fifteen kids beat ten Death Eaters in one go," Harry said quickly, and explained what happened in the corridor with the Death Eaters and the kids and everything else, as well.

"You mean you found a defense for _Avada Kedavra_?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Yes, that was our assignment," Hermione informed her.

"How did you do it so quickly?"

"We have absolutely no idea. I guess they never had a team like ours." Everyone smiled.

"Amazin'," Hagrid muttered. In the next ten minutes, the adults formed a plan. They would go into the Great Hall (picking up as many students as possible along the way) and storm in. then they would wait for their opponents to cast the curse (hopefully Lucius wouldn't have enough time to tell them about the defense) and then they would all use the defense spell. Once they had the entire group Death Eaters unconscious, they would bind them and bring them to the Ministry. They all knew it was dangerous to bring to bring students into it, but they needed all the help they could get, and the kids would be as far away from the front of the group as possible.

They met almost half the school on their way; all the students were hurrying away from the Great Hall because that's where the Death Eaters were going to be. There were no Slytherins in the group of kids, but that was to be expected, and all the boys and girls seemed really eager to help; even the first and second years were willing to give it a shot!

Soon they were in front of the Great Hall doors, and Dumbledore pushed them open. All the Death Eaters looked up. The Hall was a mess. The tables were overturned, chairs broken, and most of all, all the Slytherins' unconscious bodies lay on the floor. Lucius was looking exceptionally panicky and outraged.

"How come you nor Potter," he spat the name out as if it were a poison, "Can't just die? It's almost impossible to kill you two!" Everyone (with the exception of the Death Eaters) had to sustain their laughter at his outburst.

"Lucius, we surrender. Kill us now to prove we are not immortal, or inhuman. I ask you…Death Eaters," he wasn't sure how exactly to address them, "To kill us now, and make your master happy, it is not worth anymore pain and suffering for us. We have all lost too much; especially Mr. Potter here." Obviously Lucius hadn't told any of his comrades about the defense, as they were all holding up their wands, looking incredibly excited. Draco was standing near his father, however, not moving a muscle.

Suddenly the rest of the Death Eaters leapt into action "_Avada Kedavra!"_ at least 150 voices cried. But their enemies were ready "_Amoris Patronum," _they muttered, so the servants of Voldemort didn't hear them. A red wall sprang to life in front of them and they couldn't see what was happening. But they heard the yells, and thuds of people smacking against walls.

Everything was quiet in a minute. The wall had gone, and they looked around the Hall. Death Eaters were everywhere. Most were on the floor, unconscious, but many were on tables, chairs, and some had even fallen atop Slytherins and their fellow Death Eaters.

Dumbledore and his group wasted no time in getting the Death Eaters tied up, and that included Blortas, who was still unconscious. Soon, everyone was exhausted, but still they did the final thing, and swiped their enemies' memories.

"Can't have them walking around talking about Harry Potter being alive and well at Hogwarts, and the defense now can we?" Dumbledore said brightly, the twinkle showing slightly in his eye once again.

Finally, everyone was tied up, and memoryless of the past few hours. They were taken to the Ministry, and put into Azkaban, where people had started guarding as well as dementors, in case said dementors tried to switch sides again. The people were called dementor-keepers by some, and they were very skilled with the _Expecto Patronum_ charm.

Harry knew he was in for a lot of pain, very soon, so he enjoyed the next two days with his friends.

They lay in the grass, after two day since the attack. Luckily there had only been one student death, and that was a girl from Gryffindor. The funerals were going to be held the next weekend, but they were all private. There were some Death Eaters the teachers took care of, and they were buried next to a cemetery because everyone agreed that they didn't deserve a cemetery. All of the students had promised not to tell anyone about Harry Potter being at their school; even the Slytherins. Just in case though, every letter sent out was checked by the school, until they just decided to modify the kids' memories. They hadn't objected, since it was too big a secret to carry around.

At the moment Harry lay on the grass staring at a cloud shaped like lemon. Ron was sucking on a long piece of grass and Hermione was wrapped up in her cloak sleeping. It was a cool November day, and soon Ron and Harry started pointing out weird clouds to each other ("Look at that one it's a castle!" "There's one that resembles a book", "Did that one just wink at me?"). This kept going on for about a half hour, until they realized Hermione wasn't asleep anymore, but she was now changing the clouds' shapes. They got into a wrestling match after that, and only stopped when Dumbledore approached them, looking amused.

"I have something to tell all of you," he said as they stood up, brushing themselves off "We noticed that someone we had noticed at the school was missing from the group in Azkaban. Two people actually. Harry you haven't felt anything?"

"No, sir."

"Well, it's coming out in the _Daily Prophet _tomorrow, I heard, so be ready," Harry nodded.

"Who's missing, Professor?" Ron asked. Dumbledore's look turned grave.

"Lucius and Draco Malfoy."


	10. The awards

Disclaimer: J.k. Rowling owns Harry Potter and that's not my name.

A month later the thestral drawn carriages pulled away from the castle carrying all of the students. Hermione watched from the icy window remembering how she used ride away from the school excited about the vacation. The door opened behind her and she turned away from the glass to see who was there. Harry and Ron were pulling off their gloves, their cheeks pink and snow on their cloaks and in their hair.

"Hey Hermione," Ron said putting his hands over the fire.

"Hi, where have you two been?" she asked going over to sit with them around the flames.

"Helping Hagrid with the thestrals," Harry explained.

"Oh." Hermione and Ron had decided to stay at Hogwarts in case they were ever needed. Hermione had a room next to her friends' so she could have her privacy. "Want some tea?" she gestured to the tea pot on the table. Harry and Ron nodded and she poured them all some. As they sat sipping their drinks they started talking.

"What do guys want to do later?" Harry asked.

"We could go down to Hogsmeade. Everyone knows you're staying near there anyway," Ron answered.

"Yeah, ok."

"And Voldemort shouldn't be attacking anyplace soon because he just lost 150 Death Eaters.," Hermione added.

"What's going to happen to them?" Ron wondered.

"Let's just say the dementors are going to be full," Harry said shuddering.

"Most of them have already got the kiss, but the others are getting it today or tomorrow," Hermione said.

"Let's talk about something pleasant," the red head offered. They did and after ten minutes Harry put down his cup.

"C'mon then, let's go to Hogsmeade." They all got up, and Hermione went to her room to get her cloak while the two men found dry ones. Soon they were walking away from the castle, the snow crunching under their feet. They reached the village in a matter of minutes. The three friends wandered around for a while, with people watching after Harry. They decided to go to the Three Broomsticks for some butterbeers. When they entered wizards and witches glanced at them and merely nodded at Harry. The excitement of him being in Hogsmeade had died down and now he was treated just like he was four years ago.

"Three butterbeers, please," he said to Madam Rosmerta as they all sat down at the bar. She nodded and walked away, her shoes clicking on the wood floor.

"Here you go," she said when she came back "That's ten sickles." Harry handed over the silver and took his butterbeer.

"Is there anywhere you want to go, or are we just going to wander around all day?" he asked.

"We could go to Diagon Alley and visit Fred and George," Ron said brightly.

"Yeah, all right," his friends agreed. Once they were done with their butterbeers they walked outside. Snow was coming down in tufts, making it hard to see. Harry, Ron, and Hermione Apparated into the Leaky Cauldron startling Tom.

"Sorry, it's a blizzard out there," Hermione said cleaning up the pile of snow they had brought with them.

"S'ok," said Tom and went back to cleaning a table. Harry led the other two out back and tapped the bricks with his wand. Instantly they moved aside letting the three young people pass.

There weren't many people in Diagon Alley because of the storm. Ron ran ahead trying to find his brothers' shop but he couldn't see very well and the storm was getting worse. After what seemed like ages, he found it and they all scrambled inside. Fred came out of the back room to see who it was.

"Ronniekins!" he shouted. "What a pleasant surprise!" Ron scowled but said,

"Hey Fred. Where's George?"

"Right here little bro'," answered a grinning George coming out of the other wing of the shop. "What brings you three here?"

"We just thought we'd stop by," Harry said shrugging and immediately hurried away to look at the twins' pranking items.

"How are you?" Hermione asked, watching Ron trying looking at some sort of purple ball.

"We're fine," Fred answered also looking at his younger brother. Hermione frowned slightly.

"What exactly does that do?" she asked. Before anyone had a chance to answer her Ron disappeared. Fred and George smiled.

"Perfect!" they exclaimed.

"What happened?" asked Harry coming out of the other room with a bag bulging with dungbombs and canary creams, and various other pranking items. Hermione looked at the floor and saw a bowl of grapes. Harry saw it too. "Why is there a bowl of grapes on the ground?" he asked. Fred picked it up.

"Try one," he said. Hermione gasped.

"That's disgusting! Harry, don't eat it, it's Ron!" Harry looked amused.

"Only one of them is," George said. Fred pushed the bowl towards the black haired man.

"Go on then. You most likely won't get Ron," he said. Harry picked up a grape and inspected it. Then he popped it in his mouth and gagged.

"I think I chose the wrong one," he said, swallowing and spitting afterwards. "Oh well. Hermione are you ready to go?"

"What about Ron?"

"He'll always be with us. Or at least with me," Harry said patting his stomach. Hermione was horrified.

"Harry!" she shouted. Suddenly Ron appeared instead of the bowl of grapes. He was laughing hysterically and trying to get up.

"That…was…so…funny," he gasped. Hermione was surprised at first, but then she scowled and smacked Harry upside the head. He grinned and Fred and George high fived each other.

"That was awesome!" they exclaimed.

"What was that?" Ron asked, finally managing to stop laughing and get up.

"Spying Solutions. You press the button on one of them and you turn into a bowl of whatever fruit is the same color of the ball for the amount of time it says on the package," George explained. "Great for spying; I just wish we'd thought of it at school. Homework would have been so much easier."

"What if there's more than one fruit of that color?" Harry asked.

"They're all a shade darker or lighter than the other one's of that color and it says what fruit the ball represents on the box," Fred said.

"What if someone eats you while you're in fruit form?" Hermione asked.

"They won't because whenever they reach for you they'll automatically take different one and once you're the last fruit they just don't notice you. It's a simple charm, really," said George.

"Brilliant!" Harry proceeded to get one of each of the balls on the shelf. Then he brought his bag to the counter while Ron browsed. After he had stocked up on Nosebleed Nougats, Tweeting Tangos, and, of course, the Spying Solutions, they sat and talked with his brothers for a while.

At noon Harry, Ron, and Hermione decided they better go. Once they said their goodbyes, Hermione dragged her friends to the book store. The snow was still coming down but not as hard, so the street was slowly filling up with people. They were right at the door when she looked at her watch and gasped.

"Oh my God! We've got to be at the Ministry in fifteen minutes!" she shrieked.

"Why do we have to be at the Ministry in fifteen minutes?" Ron inquired.

"We have to get the awards!" she explained and pulled the two men to the brick wall.

"Um, awards?" Ron asked.

"For the spell!" Hermione said exasperatedly. They had told Fudge everything about the spell, and he was holding an award ceremony for them.

"I thought that was tomorrow," Harry said.

"No it's today and we still have to change and get past security and everything. I can't believe I forgot!" Once they were inside the Leaky Cauldron they Apparated to Hogsmeade and ran to Hogwarts. It took the three of them five minutes to get dressed and five more to run to Hogsmeade again. "Oh no, we're late!" Hermione was yelling as they Apparated to the phone box.

"Two, four, another four, and two," Harry muttered, dialing the numbers.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic," said a woman's voice from the phone "Please state your name and business"

"Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger here for an award ceremony," Harry said. Three tags slipped out and once the three adults put them on, the floor began to descend. When they were in the hallway they began running to the golden gates. The security wizard let them through quickly. Hermione pulled the other two to the elevator and pressed the button for level three, and they began to go down. After the doors had opened Hermione led them down one hallway, then took a right, went through a door, took another right, went down another hallway, and finally stopped in front of a silver door with two gargoyle statues on either side. She had obviously been the only one who'd received directions.

"Ok, this is the place." She straightened her robes and pushed the door open. The big clock on the wall told them they were ten minutes late.

"Where have you been?" they heard a woman shriek. She came stomping towards them, and when she got closer they noticed her fiery red hair.

"Hey mum," Ron said weakly.

"You're ten minutes late! Don't 'hey mum' me. Now where are Fred and George?" she sighed in frustration when she didn't see the two and pushed them all through the crowd of people to a big curtain.

"You were supposed to be here ten minutes ago!" cried a second voice. The Minister of Magic came walking quickly over to them. "Where were you?" he shouted, and not waiting for an answer composed himself and shook their hands.

"Hello Minister," Hermione greeted him. Ron and Harry did the same. Cornelius Fudge nodded.

"Someone will come and tell you when to go through the curtain. Be ready," he barked and rushed off with Mrs. Weasley behind him. Ron slumped against the wall.

"If we weren't getting the awards I bet mum would have hexed us into next week for being late to something like this." The others agreed. Soon they heard the chattering on the other side of the curtain die down as someone walked onto the stage.

"Ladies and gentleman," The Minister of Magic's voice began. He sounded strange, as if he was forcing himself to sound cheerful. "Thank you all for coming here today. As you all know, we are here to honor three of my best aurors for doing a great thing. They have found the defense spell for the killing curse, _Avada Kedavra_." He paused while some people gasped, then continued. "The spell isn't for everyone, but I am not the person to tell you about why and who it works for. For that, please welcome Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley, and Harry Potter!" An elderly wizard gestured for the three to go through the curtain. On the other side they were dazzled by bright lights, and were deafened by applause. As soon as they got used to the lights they saw about thirty or forty people sitting in front of the stage, all cheering and clapping, and Fudge was applauding politely from his seat near the aurors being awarded. He looked a little distant. Harry, Ron, and Hermione waved and smiled, then took their places at the podium. Backstage they had planned the order in which they would speak and what each of them would say.

"Thank you," Hermione began "We are very honored to be here today. Now, I'm sure you all want to here about how we made up the spell, and how it works, so I'll tell you.

"We started looking in the library for useful information. We didn't really find anything and soon we got attacked by dementors and were in the hospital for a couple of weeks. When we got out we started looking again and one day Harry's scar began to hurt. That's when I realized how to make the counter curse. Harry survived because his mother sacrificed herself for him, and her love protected him. We needed a spell that would protect the conjurer using love. _Expecto Patronum_ means something along the lines of expecting a guardian, or protector. So we looked up the Latin word for love and put it in front of _Patronum._ The result was _Amoris Patronum_. How it works is a red wall springs up in front of the person who cast the spell, and _Avada Kedavra_ bounces off and becomes a blue light, then hits the person who conjured the killing curse and knocks them out.

"We were confused about this and then Ron realized what happened. So here he is to tell you about it," she concluded and turned to Ron, clapping along with everyone else. Fudge was looking incredibly interested.

"Thanks Hermione. To comprehend what I'm about to say, you have to understand that _Avada Kedavra_ is the worst spell in the world and _Amoris Patronum_ is most likely the best because it saves a person from the worst. When they combine, the defense weakens the killing curse's power, and the killing curse weakens the defense spell's. When the killing curse is weakened it still does damage, but it doesn't kill. When the defense is weakened it doesn't stop harm from coming to somebody but it doesn't let it go too far. Basically the two spells compromise, forming a stunning spell. Since _Avada Kedavra_ bounces off of its counter, it turns into a stunning spell and hits the witch or wizard who conjured it.

"This spell works very well in most cases, but not always. Harry is the one who will tell you about this," Ron said and Harry took his place near his friends and cleared his throat.

"Like Ron said, the spell doesn't work for everyone. The only ones it works for are people who are loved and capable of love themselves. Anyone who is not capable of love is heartless, and to be heartless you have to be a murderer or at least someone who doesn't care about killing someone. For example, Lucius and Draco Malfoy were killed with the killing curse. The last spell their wands had performed had been an unidentified spell, but it let out a red mist. They had made an attempt at _Amoris Patronum_ but they had nobody to love them, and they were incapable of love, so the spell didn't work for them and they ended up dead."

"Why would You-Know-Who kill them? I heard they were right in his inner circle!" someone called out.

"Because they told him about the defense spell but when he tried it on them it didn't work. He thought they were lying to him and decided they needed to be killed."

"How do you know?" someone else asked. Harry grimaced.

"I have my ways," he answered. Then Fudge stood up.

"Now it's time for the awards!" he said, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione went to sit down at the back of the stage. "To Ms. Hermione Granger, for taking part in finding the counter curse for _Avada Kedavra_, Order of Merlin, second class." Everyone applauded and Hermione beamed as she went up to get the piece of paper. Then she sat back down and waited. "To Mr. Ronald Weasley, for taking part in finding the counter curse for _Avada Kedavra_, Order of Merlin, second class." Everyone was puzzled because Fudge never presented awards by saying the same thing for more than one of the people, but clapped anyway. Once Ron was seated the Minister continued. "And to Mr. Harry Potter, for taking part in finding the counter curse for _Avada Kedavra_, Order of Merlin, second class." Again everyone was surprised but put their hands together for Harry. Once the awards were awarded, Fudge disappeared, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione went to talk to their friends.

"Congratulations!" Mrs. Weasley cried, hugging each of them. Fred and George were behind her, along with Ginny, Percy, Charlie, and Bill.

"Thanks Molly," Harry said grinning. They talked for a bit and then he went to talk to Neville. "Hey Neville."

"Hi Harry. Congratulations, I can't believe you three found the counter curse!"

"Thanks. How are things with you?"

"Oh, I'm fine. What are you going to do now that you've finished the assignment?" Neville asked.

"We were going to ask Fudge for another one but he's disappeared," Harry answered frowning.

"Yeah, I wonder where he went. He's acting a little strange."

"I've noticed too. But he's had a lot to do lately, and he's really stressed. I guess he had a meeting or something."

"Probably," Neville agreed.

"So are you seeing anyone?" Harry asked, smiling mischievously. Neville blushed.

"Parvati Patil," he said.

"Really? She wasn't too fond of you in school."

"Well, when I actually began to be able to do magic properly," Harry laughed. "She began talking to me a lot, and after graduation we started seeing each other."

"That's great Neville!"

"Thanks. How about you?"

"No, I've been busy, what with disappearing for four years and the assignment and all." Neville chuckled. "Well good luck with Parvati, Neville. She's actually coming over here now." Harry winked and walked away.

He was pouring himself some punch from the refreshments table when someone called his name. Ginny ran over to him.

"Harry!" she called.

"Hi Ginny."

"Can you _believe_ Ron got Order of Merlin, second class?" she exclaimed.

"I always knew he had it in him," Harry said. Ginny grinned.

"Still, it's amazing! _And_ he got a money reward!" That was true. Harry and Ron and Hermione had gotten 2000 galleons for the spell.

"Yes, it's great," said Harry sipping his punch. Just then his scar started burning. He dropped his glass and clutched his head. Thankfully the pain wasn't too bad and there was no blood. The crash of the glass had attracted everyone's attention, though, and they were all staring at Harry. Soon the pain went away and he waved his wand, cleaning up the glass. "Nothing to worry about," he told them "I just suddenly got a really bad headache." After a moment they all went back to whatever they were doing earlier.

"Harry, what happened?" Hermione asked, pulling him away from the crowd.

"He's mad that we really did find a counter curse, and he's frustrated because he doesn't understand why it didn't work for the Malfoys. He is also annoyed, because it's us that found it and he couldn't do anything to stop us. But he's forming a plan, and he's not so angry anymore." Ron looked worried.

"That's not good. But how could he possibly know? Only Fudge and this crowd know about it so far."

"I don't know," Harry said shaking his head.

"We can't do anything right now, so let's forget about it for today," Hermione said and the other two nodded.

Soon the party was over and everyone went home. Harry, Ron, and Hermione Apparated to Hogsmeade and walked back to Hogwarts, discussing what they were going to do with their money. Dumbledore joined them, as he had been at the celebration as well. Harry explained to the old man about what happened with his scar and he said the same thing as Hermione. That there's nothing they can do and not to worry about it for now.

"Just be alert," he told them as they entered the castle and went their separate ways.


	11. The animal show and a surprise

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

**I'm a horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible person! I haven't updated since who knows when and now probably nobody will want to read when I do update. I have 4 days off from school (actually 2 weeks but I went to Paris for a while woot woot) and I'm going to spend my time updating and writing, writing and updating so that I at least update every story once. I'm soooo sorry please do still read my stuff!**

The next day Hermione, Ron, and Harry woke up to sunlight pouring through their windows. After breakfast they decided to go to the magical animal show in Wales.

"Maybe I'll be able to get an owl," Ron said. He had sold his previous owl when he needed money. Hermione nodded and said,

"We should invite Hagrid. He'll love the show." They trouped down to Hagrid's cabin, and Harry knocked on the door. Another storm had started, but luckily it wasn't as bad as the previous day.

"Come in," boomed Hagrid. They heaved open the door and walked inside. "Oh, 'ello!" the half giant greeted them. "Would you like a cup o' tea?"

"No thanks Hagrid. We were wondering if you wanted to go to the magical animal show with us," Harry said.

"Really? I'd be deligh'ed!" Hagrid said and rushed off to find his moleskin coat. Once he was dressed they made their way back outside, and were suddenly faced with the problem of transportation as Hagrid couldn't apparate.

"We could go on brooms," Ron offered.

"No, it'd be too hard to fly in this weather," Hermione said.

"I've got it!" Harry exclaimed. "The thestrals!" Hagrid nodded.

"Good idea. Be righ' back." He disappeared inside his cabin for a minute, and then reappeared with some huge chunks of raw meat. They went inside the forest, and soon a couple of the thestrals were following them. Hagrid gave them the meat, and once they were finished, the four friends climbed on thestrals' backs and flew away.

Soon they were in the place where the show was being held, and Hagrid tied up the thestrals and walked away with the three young aurors. The first creature they saw was a baby dragon.

"Aww, isn' he cute?" Hagrid cooed, scratching the dragon's chin. He was being sold for fifty galleons.

"Hagrid," Hermione said nervously. "Remember the last time you had a dragon?" He nodded sadly.

"Yeh. All righ' let's go." They walked on for a while, looking at various creatures. There were some unicorns, and nifflers (a/n: is that the right word? I'm talking about the things that find shiny objects) and hippogriffs. Harry couldn't look at those; they reminded him of Sirius. When Hagrid went to look at them, Harry left to look at whatever was in the pen across from the hippogriffs'. It turned out to be thestrals, which included baby thestrals. The little ones were just like the older ones, except for their size.

"Harry!" Ron called. Harry looked over and saw that they were moving on to the owls, and Hagrid had a hippogriff following him.

"Hagrid, you got a hippogriff?" he asked incredulously, catching up to them.

"Er, yeah to replace Buckbeak, yeh know, I've been wantin' to fer a while, jus' never go' the chance…" Hagrid trailed off seeing Harry's face.

"What happened to Buckbeak?" he asked the huge man.

"Oh, well, I se' him free, after…yeh know." After Sirius' death. Harry nodded.

"What did you name this one?"

"I'm not sure yet." Harry nodded again and walked towards an owl sitting on a perch. It was familiar and had a letter tied on its leg for some reason.

"Hedwig?" She hooted and stuck out her leg. Harry took the letter and gave her some owl treats. He looked outside (the show was inside) and decided she should just stay with him. He put his arm near her and she hopped on. Then Harry unfolded the letter. It said:

_Beware_.

There was no signature or anything.

"What's that?" Hermione asked. Harry showed them the letter and they were just as confused as he was.

"This is weird. Well, we just have to be on our guard, that's all. Like Dumbledore said."

"C'mon let's go get my owl then," Ron said trying to change the subject, and raced over to a beautiful great horned owl. "Seventeen galleons," he murmured. "What do you think, should I get it?" he asked Harry.

"Yeah, it's a great owl," his friend said. Ron nodded and paid for the bird. When he came back carrying the cage he said,

"I've named it Charlie."

"After your brother?" Hermione asked, amused.

"No, I just like the name. I think it suits him." Harry studied the owl for a moment.

"You know, you're right. It does suit him," he agreed. They walked on, passing pens after pens full of animals, and finally decided to get something to eat. When Hagrid came back from tying up his new hippogriff, they went to the cafeteria. Ron let Charlie out so he could fly around, but Hedwig decided to stay where she was, occasionally pecking at Harry's food.

"What do you think the note meant?" Hermione asked, sipping her pumpkin juice.

"I don't know," Harry said, taking it out after giving his owl the rest of his meat pie. "It looks like the person had difficulty writing it. I don't know what Hedwig was doing wherever they were."

"It is strange," Hagrid said, studying the piece of parchment. Then he looked at the clock. "We should ge' goin'." The others nodded, and left the building. Outside the snow was thickening, and the wind was howling. They trudged over to the thestrals and the hippogriff (which Hagrid had decided to name Clawfoot). Charlie was back in his cage and he and Hedwig were having trouble keeping their balance. Harry put his arms around Hedwig, because she almost fell off her perch.

They climbed with difficulty onto the thestrals, who didn't seem to notice the snow, and Hagrid held tightly onto the rope tied around Clawfoot's neck. Once they were in the air they let their mounts lead the way. When they were flying above Hogsmeade they heard screaming. Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged looks and told the thestrals to go down. They landed at the gates of the village, and the thestrals flew away. Hagrid was behind them, but they told him to leave. He did reluctantly, and took the owls with him. The three pulled out their wands and cautiously pushed open the gates.

They could still hear shouts of people, but in the place they were there were no other sounds. All the lights were on and in the Three Broomsticks there were still mugs of butterbeer on the tables. Some of the tables were overturned, though, and a couple of cloaks lay on the floor.

As they drew nearer, the screaming got louder. Soon it was right around the corner. Harry was the first to step forward, and his eyes widened in horror. Death Eaters war running around shooting jets of green and yellow. One of the yellow lights hit a young witch and she fell to the ground, screaming in pain. A green light hit her companion and he fell down and lay there motionless.

"Come on," Harry whispered, and Hermione and Ron followed him. They crept forward to the nearest person on the ground. She was dead with her eyes wide open in fear.

"Well, well, well," said a voice a couple of feet away. "Look who's here." Harry looked up and pointed his wand.

"_Stupefy!_" he yelled, and the Death Eater fell over. Harry tied him up and took off his hood. None of them recognized him so they moved on.

"_Crucio!_" someone yelled behind them. A jet of yellow came out of their wand and hit Hermione in the back.

"_Silencio!_" Ron yelled at the Death Eater and went to help Hermione.

"_Expelliarmus!_" Harry said, and the Death Eater's wand flew towards him. He broke it in half and stunned the hooded person before they ran away. Then he moved their hood aside and saw that it was a woman. He bound her up and walked over to Hermione and Ron. "Hermione, are you ok?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Let's keep going." They kept stunning and tying up their enemies, and sometimes stopping to see if the people on the ground were dead or not. After about ten minutes they found the real battle. Villagers were fighting Death Eaters and people from both sides were lying on the ground. Harry and Ron joined the fight, while Hermione told the villagers about the defense for the killing curse. The Death Eaters suddenly huddled together and yelled,

"_Avada Kedavra!_" The others responded quickly.

"_Amoris Patronum!_" they shouted. Only about ten Death Eaters were left standing afterwards. They were quickly stunned and bound, as nobody wanted to use an Unforgivable. Harry was standing at the back of the group, waiting for the Ministry Officials to arrive. Suddenly he felt stiff, and when he tried to move his arms he wasn't able to. He was in a full body bind and couldn't make a sound. He felt himself being dragged off like a board, and the falling snow was covering up his attackers' tracks. He was taken a little way away from the village. He could still hear his name being shouted.

* * *

Hermione and Ron were helping tighten the ropes around the Death Eaters.

"Harry, could you come and help us?" Hermione called but there was no answer. She tried again, but still not a sound from his direction. Finally she turned around and looked for him. She couldn't find the mop of black hair anywhere. "Ron," she said. He stood up.

"What?"

"Where's Harry?" she asked. He looked around.

"I dunno, he was at the back of the crowd a minute ago," he said.

"I can't find him and he wouldn't just leave without saying anything."

"I know. Harry!" Ron bellowed. No answer came. Hermione and Ron looked at each other and made sure nobody was looking at them. Then they transformed and flew away.

* * *

When Harry was released he was able to move his head. He saw that there was a couple of Death Eaters standing around him. He was still holding his wand and they were pointing theirs at him.

"So, why am I here?" he asked.

"Guess, little Potter," the nearest one sneered. He recognized her voice.

"Why, hello Bellatrix. Fancy seeing you here." She didn't say anything in response. They stood like that for about five minutes, nobody moving a muscle. Finally Harry had had enough. "_Stupefy!_" he shouted and five Death Eaters fell to the ground. He looked around. There was nobody else there. He was on some sort of dirt path which led to a mountain. Harry wanted to look away but found himself walking towards it. He climbed up until he found a cave. This was the cave Sirius had hid in. Harry walked inside, and sat down against the wall. "Why does everything remind me of him?" he asked himself angrily. "It's been so long, why can't I let it go?" He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. When he reopened them he saw something on the opposite wall.

He got up and walked towards it. Harry noticed it was some sort of writing. He looked closer and could make out the words.

_The right hand corner on the veil. The prophecy is there. Find it Harry._

Harry was startled. He read it over and over again as if trying to make the meaning appear in the words. What prophecy? And how did the words get there, when they weren't there earlier? He figured Sirius had written it, because it was definitely Sirius' writing, and he just hadn't noticed when he entered. But what did it mean? Harry vaguely heard his name. He sighed and transformed into an eagle. He spread his wings and rose into the air, flying towards the exit. When he looked back, the words were gone.

* * *

Ron and Hermione flew towards the edge of Hogsmeade. They stopped when they found the bodies of five unconscious Death Eaters. When they were in human form again they looked around for Harry but couldn't find him.

"Harry!" Hermione called. Ron cried his friend's name too, but there was no response. They walked further down the path, towards a mountain and tried again. A bird flew to them from the mountain, and on the ground it transformed into Harry.

"Harry, where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you!" Ron exclaimed.

"Death Eaters took me from behind. Let's go back and help the injured people."

"But what were you doing in the mountain?" Hermione asked, nervously looking to where he had come from, as if expecting Death Eaters to come bursting out.

"I was…" Harry didn't want to tell them about where he had been and what he had seen. It felt like the cave and Sirius' words were the last of Sirius' things he would find, and he wanted to keep them his own. "I was just making sure no Death Eaters were hiding out there." The answer seemed to satisfy his friends because they nodded and transformed into birds. Harry did the same and they all flew towards Hogsmeade.

When they got there, people from the Ministry and Azkaban were already there and hauling away the Death Eaters. Harry, Ron, and Hermione began to help people. Harry came across a witch who was breathing heavily, and seemed barely conscious. He recognized her as Madam Rosmerta. He knelt down beside her.

"Rosmerta? Can you hear me?"

"Yes," she said weakly.

"I'm going to help you. Hang in there," he said, and picked her up. He made his way through the deep snow to the nearest shop and put her inside. He transfigured a couple of cabinets and shelves into beds and couches. Then he lit a fire, and placed the bartender on the couch in front of it. "Rosmerta, were there anymore Death Eaters here?" he asked. She gained a little strength after warming up.

"Yes but they left before the attacks began. I'm not sure where they went."

"Oh, how many were there?"

"About thirty or forty. I can't believe there are so many of them especially after 150 were caught."

"Yes, he has a lot of supporters. I'm going to leave you to rest. Someone should come get you soon," Harry said and she nodded. He left the store just as another person was being carried in by Ron. Harry waited for him, and when Ron had gotten the person settled he walked over to Harry. "Ron, I need to talk to you and Hermione. Do you know where she is?"

"No, we should go find her." They left the building and found Hermione quickly.

"Guys, Madam Rosmerta told me that there were more than these Death Eaters here but they left before the attacks began and she doesn't know where they went." Hermione's eyes widened.

"How many of them?" she asked.

"She said about thirty or forty," Harry replied.

"We should go tell Dumbledore. We have no idea how many more Death Eaters Voldemort has. He might just keep bringing out more," Ron said.

"No matter how many he brings out, we're going to defeat his army, and then him," Harry announced. "Now let's get to Hogwarts." The three of them ran towards the castle. In five minutes they were at the huge oak doors, and stopped to catch their breath. Then Ron pushed the doors open and they walked inside. Harry, Hermione, and Ron walked down a couple of corridors on their way to the headmaster's office. It was eerily quiet, and some torches were blown out although there were no open windows and the torches were lit day and night. They pulled out their wands and walked cautiously. There was no sign of life; everything was very still.

When they turned to another hallway, there was a strange smell coming from it. There were only about two torches lit here, so Harry and Hermione and Ron had to light their wands. They moved forward slowly. Suddenly Hermione held out a hand to stop her companions.

"Did you guys here that?" she whispered. They listened and heard some sort of sound up ahead. It sounded like something was on the stone floor but it wasn't human footsteps, or the swish of a cloak. Hermione tip toed further up the hallway, with Ron and Harry following her. Suddenly she screamed. She looked frozen to the spot. Harry and Ron moved ahead to see what was happening, and saw a huge snake rushing towards Hermione. It was letting off a terrible stench and Harry recognized it instantly. It was Voldemort's pet snake, Nagini.

"Sstop!" he hissed. Of course she didn't listen, so he pushed Hermione and stepped in front of Nagini. She stopped right away, because she knew her master needed him.

"What do you want, Potter? I am very hungry," she hissed angrily, eyeing Hermione.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked, ignoring the snake's words.

"Leave me alone!" Nagini said, but Harry didn't move.

"Tell me what you're doing here!" Realizing she wouldn't get a meal here, Nagini smiled (A/n: can snakes do that? Just imagine it if they can't which I don't think they can).

"You'll sssee," she said and slithered away.

"Harry, what was that about? What did she say?" Ron asked.

"I asked her what she was doing here, and she said I'll see."

"That doesn't sound good," Hermione whispered.

"No, it doesn't," Harry shook his head. "Let's go find Dumbledore." They took off at a run and slowed down only when they got to the stone gargoyle.

"Chocolate covered candy wands," Ron gasped. The statue jumped aside and they stepped onto the escalating stairs. They didn't bother to knock, and burst into the room. The person standing there was not Dumbledore.

"Bellatrix?" Hermione exclaimed.

"The one and only," the other woman said, smirking.

"I thought I took care of you back when you tried to kidnap me today," Harry said coldly.

"You really think my master would let me be captured and given the dementor's kiss?" Bellatrix scoffed.

"One can only hope," Harry replied. The Death Eater sneered.

"That wasn't very nice."

"Neither is murdering innocent people," Ron retorted. Bellatrix ignored him.

"The last time we met," she began, looking at Harry. "Before today, I mean, was eight years ago, wasn't it? Yes, that's when we lost my dear cousin. What a _tragic_ event." Harry gritted his teeth. Unfortunately, Sirius' cousin and murderer noticed him tense up. "Does mention of my cousin bring you pain? Oh, I'm so sorry." Then Harry lost it.

"_Crucio!_" he yelled. Unlike the other time he had tried that on her she fell to the ground shrieking. Harry lifted the curse after a bit.

"Learned how to use them, have you?" Bellatrix asked panting.

"So it would seem. The finny part is, I didn't practice," he said. "_Stupefy!_" After that was done, ropes shot out of his wand and wrapped themselves around the woman's body. Harry made sure she wouldn't be able to move. "_Silencio_" Now she wouldn't be able to make a sound. Once he was finished, Harry turned back to his friends. "We have to find someone, like Dumbledore or McGonagall. I bet Bellatrix was waiting for him here."

"Me too," Ron murmured.

"Let's go," Hermione said and lead the way out. They couldn't find anyone, teacher or Death Eater.

"Where are they all?" Ron asked.

"My guess is the Great Hall," Harry answered "But I mean the Death Eaters too."

"Not all Death Eaters are in the Great Hall," came a chilling voice behind them. They turned around and saw a thin man in Death Eater robes, and ugly black hair. Above his upper lip was a thin black mustache, and he was sneering unpleasantly. It was Macnair, the man who was supposed to kill Buckbeak all those years ago.

"Apparently not," Ron agreed. Macnair turned his attention to him.

"What are _you_ doing here Weasley?"

"Guess," Ron said coolly. The Death Eater smiled sarcastically and turned to Hermione.

"You brought the mudblood along too. Pity," he said and raised his wand. "_Avada Kedavra!_" Hermione was ready, though.

"_Amoris Patronum!_" In a minute Macnair was on the ground, unconscious. They took away his wand and broke it in half, and then Ron tied him up and put him near the wall. They began walking again and soon they met Professor McGonagall.

"Minerva!" Harry called. She turned around and waved.

"Hello! Can I help you?" she said.

"There are Death Eaters in the castle!" Hermione told her. McGonagall looked at her.

"Don't be ridiculous, there are no Death Eaters in Hogwarts. Go back to what you were doing before you started making up stories." Ron and Harry were shocked. McGonagall's voice sounded so cheerful and carefree; it was usually stern and sharp. Hermione just sighed and when McGonagall started to walk away, she pointed her wand at her former teacher's back.

"_Finite Incantatem_" McGonagall's body gave a jerk, and she fell backward.

"What happened?" she asked looking around.

"You were under the _Advertum _charm," Hermione explained. Harry and Ron remembered vaguely that the charm would make a person act the complete opposite of themselves, and if they saw something going on, they would pretend it wasn't happening when someone else would mention it. The _Advertum_ charm was a good weapon for Death Eaters, but it had its weaknesses. For example, Hermione had just been able to tell that McGonagall was under the charm right away.

"Oh, dear."

"Yes, but Minerva, there are Death Eaters in the castle!" Hermione said.

"How could they have gotten in?"

"We don't know, and we also don't know how many of them there are," Ron told her.

"We're thinking about thirty or forty.," Harry said. "The ones who left before the attack on Hogsmeade."

"There was an attack in Hogsmeade?"

"Yes, and all of the Death Eaters were caught but we know Bellatrix Lestrange escaped; she was in Albus' office." McGonagall gasped. "And some others might have escaped as well, but we only know about Bellatrix. And she's in Albus' office right now, tied up and silenced," Harry said.

"I will go look for Albus immediately." She sped off.

"Ok, let's go see how many Death Eaters are in the Great Hall," Ron offered and they moved forward again. After five minutes they heard something up ahead. This time it didn't sound like slithering; it sounded like footsteps. When the trio got closer they saw that it was the rest of the Death Eaters Voldemort had, and they were heading their way.

"Split up, and meet up at the back of them!" Harry whispered and they all took a different corridor to get around the crowd. When they were all at the back, they started stunning those nearest them and levitating them before they fell on their companions.

They might have gotten the better part of the Death Eaters stunned and bound if one of Voldemort's servants hadn't turned around.

"There he is! It's Potter!" she shrieked. About twenty stunning spells were sent towards Harry and his friends but they deflected them. The shields were hard to keep up since there were so many spells to be saved from. Next the mob tried to get ropes around Harry, Ron, and Hermione and hit Ron. He was pulled forward and the Death Eaters smiled.

"Come on Harry Potter. Save your friend." Harry gritted his teeth. They thought he wouldn't send a spell at them because they were using his friend for a shield.

"_Stupefy!_" As he had predicted they pulled Ron in front of them and he got hit. Harry was hoping this would happen. "_Stupefy!_" he shouted again and, since there was no Ron to use as a shield, one of the Death Eaters got hit. She fell down silently. Enraged, the Death Eaters raised their wands.

"_Avada Kedavra!_" they screamed.

"_Amoris Patronum!_" Harry and Hermione bellowed. Their spell knocked half of the crowd unconscious. There were about ten of them left. They sneered.

"You'll meet your match yet, Potter. Let's go find Dumbledore," the man at the front of the flock said and they followed him away. Hermione and Harry caught their breath (it was hard to deflect so many spells with only two people) and went over to Ron.

"_Ennervate,_" Harry whispered. Ron jolted to life.

"Are they gone?" he asked.

"Yeah, sorry about stunning you; it was the only way we could do anything" Harry said.

"It's ok; I would have done the same thing," Ron said. Hermione and Harry helped him up.

"We should check the Great Hall; there won't be any Death Eaters left, we just saw them all," Hermione suggested. They took all the stunned Death Eaters' (who had been left behind by their group) wands, and tied them up and put them into a pile. Then they headed to the Great Hall.

They quietly pushed open the doors. All the candles that were usually floating around were extinguished, and the only light came from the doorway. Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked farther into the Hall.

Suddenly all the candles were topped with flames. The hall was full of light now, and the three friends could see that all of the chairs were knocked over. The Christmas trees were on the ground, and pine needles littered the floor around them. All the ornaments and decorations were shattered, and the portraits were burned. All of the tables had been overturned too, all of them except the Head Table, at the foot of which Nagini was lying, staring. On top of the table was a tall and thin figure, in a long black cloak. His face was white and pointed; he had snake like slits for nostrils. His scarlet eyes were gleaming with triumph, and his thin lips were formed in a smug smile. It was Lord Voldemort.


	12. The final battle

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

Harry tried to ignore the pain in his scar.

"I thought I would see you here," Voldemort said. His voice was chilling and sent shivers down Harry's spine.

"I can't say I didn't expect you. But I can't say I did expect you either," Harry replied.

"Well, the situation called for drastic measures."

"And what situation would that be?"

"You found the counter curse for my favorite little spell." Harry was surprised. How could Voldemort know?

"How would you know anything about what we've been doing?"

"I have a very loyal Death Eater who has been telling me your every move. The dementors; the hospital; how you stayed in Hogwarts. Then how you made up the defense spell and even how it works."

"Most of that came out in the paper," Ron snarled. Voldemort turned his red eyes towards him.

"Did it? I don't recall the dementors or the hospital or the Magical Animal Show. Or Harriet, Nick, and John, for that matter." Noticing their surprised looks, he added. "Yes, I've been keeping an eye on you from the very beginning. Of course, there was a period when there were some…difficulties, but I worked around those."

"Who is this informant?" Harry asked.

"Would you like to meet him? I think you might recognize him. But who knows?" He snapped his fingers. There was a shuffling sound behind the table. Harry, Ron, and Hermione instinctively raised their wands. From behind the table came a short man with graying, matted hair. They couldn't see anything else because he was carrying a tall object. They recognized it at once. It was the veil. The man behind it was clearly having trouble. He was trying to climb up on the table but the veil was very heavy and he was grunting with the effort. The Death Eater finally put down the veil and scrambled up. Then he cast a feather weight charm on the veil and brought it up to rest next to Voldemort, who was looking irritated. After that, he turned around to face the three aurors. When they saw him they gasped.

"Minister?" Hermione whispered. But he began changing right before their eyes. His hair turned neat and black, and grew down to his elbows. His nose grew smaller, and he became thinner. His round eyes changed to ovals and his face was now longer. He grew a couple of inches, straightened out, and now there was a new man standing on the table. Voldemort smiled unpleasantly.

"You've brought me the veil, Herrs. Good job." The man called Herrs smiled too.

"The real minister must have sent you that note!" Hermione whispered to Harry. He gave a little nod and turned back to his enemy.

"Polyjuice potion," Harry said. "Clever. Not up to your usual standard though, _Tom_." Voldemort's lip curled.

"Perhaps. But it is so very efficient."

"Yes, I know. Why do you need the veil?"

"You think I would tell you? _Crucio!_" The curse came out of the blue and Harry barely had time to dodge it. It hit the wall behind him, and the stones crumbled, leaving a hole.

"_Stupefy!_" Harry yelled. The spell hit Voldemort and he stumbled back but regained his balance right away.

"You think a spell like that would work on me?" he sneered. "Have you forgotten who I am, Potter?"

"No. You're a murderer by the name of Tom Riddle. No one special," Harry replied calmly, though inside his heart was beating furiously. He was afraid but wouldn't show it. Fire blazed in Voldemort's eyes.

"_Crucio!_" he screamed and this time the spell hit its mark. Harry tried his best to stay standing, but couldn't. He would not, however, scream. He waited for the pain to go away and it did very soon. When he looked up he saw Hermione and Ron standing in front of him, their wands pointed at Voldemort. His wand had disappeared, and so had Herrs'. Harry stood up shakily.

"_Crucio!_" he shouted and the curse hit Voldemort. He fell on the table, twitching. Harry looked at his wand, startled. He had no idea the spell would work like that on Voldemort. No one had ever done that. Then again, no one had ever done even half of what Harry Potter had. He lifted the curse and Tom stood up quickly. Harry suddenly felt something he wasn't expecting. The feeling of someone prying into his mind. He started pushing Voldemort out, but it was hard. He hadn't had to do this for a while. He knew he wouldn't win; he couldn't get one thought out of his head: _Why was Voldemort doing this? _ There was no point. Then, as suddenly as he started, Voldemort stopped. Harry looked at him and saw that he was now pointing a wand at him. Harry groped around for his own wand but couldn't find it.

Voldemort was trying to get in his mind as a distraction. While Harry had been mentally fighting Voldemort, Herrs had stolen his wand. Ron and Hermione had been so distracted by watching Voldemort, making sure he didn't do anything, that they didn't notice the other man creep up behind their friend.

"Harry, here!" Ron said. Harry looked around and Ron tossed him a wand. It was Voldemort's. Harry caught it and immediately turned around and pointed it at its owner.

"_Crucio"_" Voldemort fell again, but not before sending his own spell at Harry.

"_Incidere!" _ It hit Harry's arm and immediately a gash appeared. Blood stained Harry's sleeve and he closed his eyes against the pain. It was like having the Crucatius Curse on his arm but it wouldn't go away. Hermione and Ron were surprised. They had never heard of that spell before. Ron furrowed his brows and pointed his wand at Herrs.

"_Incidere!_" he yelled. It hit the Death Eater's stomach. He staggered and fell down on his front. He rolled over with a moan and red stained the table cloth. When Voldemort stood up, recovering from the Crucatius Curse, he muttered something and the cut on his servant's stomach closed up. Harry's kept on bleeding. He conjured up a bandage and tied it tightly around his arm, dodging a stunning spell.

"_Avada Kedavra!"_ Voldemort said.

"_Amoris Patronum!_" Harry shouted. When the blue light hit Voldemort, he staggered back again but didn't fall.

"Aah, so that's how it happens," he said. Herrs pointed his wand at Harry, but Harry didn't notice. He was concentrating on what Voldemort would do next. Suddenly he heard a whisper next to him.

"_Avada Kedavra"_ he turned to see Hermione. Her eyes were closed and her wand was aimed at Herrs. The green light hit him square in the chest and he fell back, his eyes wide in horror. He was dead before he hit the ground. Hermione started crying quietly but stood her ground. Voldemort was furious.

"You killed my servant," he said in a deadly whisper, but they heard it. "_Accio Granger_" Hermione flew forward with a shriek. Voldemort held his wand right in front of her heart. His mouth opened and started forming the deadly words.

"_Silencio!_" Harry cried. Voldemort scowled. He continued to hold onto Hermione but put his wand in his pocket motioned for Harry to undo the charm. He did, cautiously, and held his wand out, prepared to silence his enemy again. Ron tried to summon Hermione back but Voldemort caught her.

"You wanted to know what I had the veil here for, Potter? I'll tell you. Originally it was to kill you, since _Avada Kedavra_ wouldn't work. But now I have another purpose." He pulled Hermione in front of the tall object. "I can use it to torture you first." With that he pushed Hermione closer to the veil. She was right at the edge now, and was deadly pale. She couldn't do anything; Voldemort wasn't giving her enough room, and there was no spell that would help her anyway. Ron and Harry began creeping forward. Voldemort sneered. "It's so sad you have to lose two people you care about to this piece of cloth." Then he pushed Hermione. She fell straight in and the veil rippled slightly then fell still.

"HERMIONE!" Harry and Ron screamed. They knew she wouldn't come out the other side but they were still waiting for her to. Ron stood still; his face wore a furious expression.

"HOW DARE YOU?" he shrieked. "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, KILLING ANYBODY THAT DISPLEASES YOU?" Voldemort smiled chillingly.

"Lord Voldemort," he answered quietly. Harry was in a state of shock. That veil had claimed the lives of two of the people he cared most about in the world, just like Voldemort had said. He wanted to destroy it, to rip it apart. But first, he had a human to destroy.

"_Crucio!_" he yelled. Voldemort stepped aside but Ron sent the same spell towards him. He couldn't move away and fell for the third time, this time to the ground. Behind the two men came a shriek. McGonagall stood there, with Dumbledore and the other teachers. Harry and Ron didn't turn around; instead Harry walked forward. He lifted the curse and pointed his wand at the figure on the floor. "_Avada Kedavra_" he said softly. Voldemort's defenses were weakened because of the Crucatius, he knew, and the killing curse had the desired effect. Lord Voldemort was gone forever.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The veil was still at Hogwarts two days later; still in the Great Hall. Cornelius Fudge was found; he was being kept somewhere inside his office. It turned out Hermione had been right; he had sent Harry the note at the Animal Show and had had trouble because he was tied up. Harry's cut had been healed and the rest of the Death Eaters were caught.

There was no snow that day. The sun was shining brightly and it was a great day outside. The whole wizarding world was rejoicing at the fall of Voldemort but Harry and Ron couldn't enjoy it. They felt terrible; it wasn't the same without Hermione.

They had been sitting in silence all day, and Harry couldn't take it anymore. He got up and transformed, then flew out of the window.

He flew to the cave in which he had seen the words written. He inspected the wall but there were no marks. Harry sighed and sat down, trying to remember what it had said. Something about a veil and a prophecy.

_The right hand corner on the veil. The prophecy is there. Find it Harry._ Yes, that was it. Harry jumped up again and flew to find Ron. They would find the prophecy together.

"Ron! Ron!" he shouted. Ron looked up. There were bags under his eyes, and he was pale.

"What?" he asked.

"Come with me!" Harry pulled his friend to the Great Hall. They found the veil there.

"What's going on Harry?" Harry explained what he had seen. "Wow. Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I wanted to keep it to myself. You know, like the last thing of his I'd find." He didn't have to say who "he" was. Ron nodded.

"Let's find it." They walked up the veil. Harry inspected the right hand corner. He could just make out the word carved there: _THE SAVIOR BRINGS LIGHT TO DARK TIMES NINE…SOME POWERS POSSESED NONE UNDERSTAND…THOSE SMOTHERED BY CLOTH SHALL COME FREE WITH HIS AID…BUT HE HAS LOST ALL AND THAT STANDS IN HIS PATH…HE MUST MOVE AROUND IT TO HAVE IT ONCE MORE…_

"Ron, look!" Ron came over and read the words. "What do you think it means?"

"The savior… I don't know. Let's ask Dumbledore." They copied down the prophecy and ran to Dumbledore's office. They said the password and sped up the stairs.

"Enter," Dumbledore said when they knocked. They came in and showed him the paper. He studied it for a moment. "You found this on the veil?" he asked. Harry nodded. "I see. I'm afraid I can't help you. I don't know what it means." He handed them the paper, after copying it down onto his own parchment and they left, disappointed but not discouraged.

Harry and Ron spent the next week trying to figure the puzzle out. The students had gotten an extra two weeks of vacation after the things that had happened in Hogwarts.

Harry was sleeping peacefully when he was woken up by Ron's shout.

"I did it!"

"What?" Harry asked groggily.

"I figured it out!" Ron said excitedly. Harry sat up.

"What is it?" Ron came over.

"Ok. The 'savior' is the person who can go into the veil, and come back unharmed." Harry's eyes widened.

"What?"

"It all makes sense. Listen: _THOSE SMOTHERED BY CLOTH SHALL COME FREE WITH HIS AID…_ The people who were 'smothered by cloth' died by falling into the veil."

"Oh. It does make sense. But why did you decide that they could go into the veil and come back unharmed?"

"Because everyone who fell in will come back to life with his help. How will he be able to help if he dies when he goes in?"

"Makes sense. But what about the rest?"

"It tells who the savior is."

"Have you figured that out?"

"Yeah." Ron grinned slightly. "It's you."

"What?"

"Listen to this: _THE SAVIOR BRINGS LIGHT TO DARK TIMES NINE…_It's talking about you beating Voldemort! You did it nine times, didn't you? Once when you were one, then all of your years at Hogwarts except the third. That's seven. Then when he kidnapped you four years ago, you got away again. And…" Ron swallowed. "Last week. That makes nine."

"Yeah but…"

"Let me finish. _SOME POWERS POSSESED NONE UNDERSTAND…_"

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Remember second year? Everyone thought you were Dark because you were a parselmouth. That's a power nobody understands correctly. _BUT HE HAS LOST ALL AND THAT STANDS IN HIS PATH…_You've lost everything. First your parents, then Sirius, then Hermione."

"But I haven't lost you!"

"Ok, I take it back. You've lost Hermione but she wasn't part of your everything. Sirius and your parents were; they were your real family. And you lost them. It all fits. You have to go save Hermione and all the others that fell in the veil. Sirius."

"Yeah, but what if I'm not the one? No one will ever know if it worked or not!"

"There's bound to be a sign. I know how much you miss Sirius; this is your chance to save him! To bring him back!"

"I've let it go!" Harry lied. "Sure I miss him, but not enough to possibly kill myself!"

"Harry, please. Do you really think I haven't heard you talking in your sleep, about how it's all your fault Sirius died? How much you want revenge? Harry, this is your chance to be with him again! Take that chance! And if you won't do it for yourself do it for Sirius, Hermione, and the others! For me too! I can't stand being here, alive, while Hermione is…" he swallowed "dead. Especially when there is a chance to save her." Harry sighed.

"You're right. I do miss him. But I can't understand why I can't let it go! It's been eight years!"

"Harry, that's not always enough to heal. All of eternity might not be enough."

Harry was silent for a moment. Finally he spoke.

"Yeah. All right, I'll do it." Ron nodded and smiled.

"Thanks Harry. Come one, get dressed and let's go." Harry got into a comfortable outfit (sweat pants and a shirt with sneakers) then followed Ron to Dumbledore's office. It was eight o'clock and they knew he would be awake by now. When they knocked he told them to enter, just like a week ago. When the old man saw them he smiled.

"What can I do for you?" Ron took a deep breath.

"We've solved it."

"You've solved it," Harry corrected. Ron smiled and explained what he had figured out. When he was finished Dumbledore nodded.

"Are you ready to do this, Harry?"

"Yes."

"Then let's go." They made their way to the Great Hall. The veil stood there, as if waiting for Harry. Harry and Ron hugged; they were like brothers. Nobody knew how long it would take for Harry to come back, and Ron was sad that he might be away for a long time. How would he last with both of his best friends gone? He sighed and handed Harry the parchment on which the prophecy was written.

"Just in case," he said. Harry smiled.

"Thanks." He made sure he had his wand, and then stepped towards the veil. He tried to go in but was pushed back by something. Confused, he tried again but felt some kind of wall in front of him, and was pushed back again. He turned to Dumbledore. "What's going on? I can't go in!" Dumbledore frowned.

"Give me the prophecy" he said. He looked it over. "The last line: _HE MUST MOVE AROUND IT TO HAVE IT ONCE MORE…_It means you have to let Sirius' death go. Or accept it."

"I have accepted it!"

"You have to make yourself let it go then. That's the only way you'll be able to help him." Harry sighed in frustration. He closed his eyes, and thought about Sirius' death. A little voice kept saying,

'He can't be dead; it's too unfair. He just fell through a cloth; he'll come back soon.'

"No," Harry answered. Dumbledore and Ron were looking at him, wondering if he would be able to do it. "He won't come back. He is dead, but there's one thing I can do about it. For now, though, he's gone." He kept repeating this over and over, and finally opened his eyes. He took the prophecy back from Dumbledore, and faced the veil once more. Harry reached out. The wall was gone. He'd be able to get through. He stood there, thinking. Was it actually him, or someone else? Was he really the one the prophecy was talking about? He thought about it for a moment. But only a moment.

The End.

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**Hello again! That's the end! Now you'll never know what happens, and if he brings them back to life! Mwahahahahahahahah! Jk, I'm going to write a sequel called "What lies beyond the veil: Amoris Patronum sequel" If you put me on your author alert you'll know when it comes out but you don't have to.**

**The prophesy took me so long to make up! I hope you like it, please tell me! And if I post the two or three chapters of the sequel that I have done right now, others might not be up for a little bit. Do you want me to start posting it right away or wait until it's finished?**

**By the way, if you didn't know, I wrote that author's note a million years ago, back when I first wrote this story which is why it sounds a little...strange. I just didn't feel like changing it since it tells you everything I have to say.  
**


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